Sanity's Edge
by memory of a memory
Summary: A new group of villains have moved into Jump City. The only thing standing between them and their goals...the Teen Titans. 'T' for now, might up the ante later. RobxStar and BBxRae for now. Read & Review, no flames, etc.
1. Enter Payne

A/N: Not much to say right now. I always feel like my chapters are too short and rushed. I also feel like I'm terrible at action sequences, but I'm trying to get better at that. Almost forgot! A time frame for this story. It happens after Trouble in Tokyo. As for ages I'm going to go with this: Cyborg - 17 almost 18, Starfire and Robin - 16 almost 17. Raven - 16 and a half, Beast Boy - Just barely 16. Other than that, sit back, relax, and enjoy.

Disclaimer: _Teen Titans _and all related works are owned by DC Entertainment and Warner Brothers Studios, not me or anyone even remotely related to me.

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Enter Payne

_Bones sinking like stones/All that we've fought for/Homes, places we've grown/All of us are done for – Coldplay "Don't Panic"  
_

It was a particularly average day in Jump City. There hadn't been a supervillian attack in days, and the Teen Titans were enjoying their break from crime fighting. In fact, all the teens were in the common room of the tower, each relaxing and enjoying their time off. Beast Boy, Robin, and Cyborg were playing video games, Raven was reading a book, doing her best to ignore the trio of boys and their trash talk, and Starfire was grooming Silkie, while occasionally glancing over at her boyfriend and sighing wistfully. All in all, the most unusual thing about the day was that Beast Boy was actually beating both Cyborg and Robin, much to the other two's chagrin.

"Come on Beast Boy, you can do this," the green teen mumbled to himself, displaying an uncanny amount of focus and determination. "One more lap, and you'll have finally beaten Cyborg without cheat codes." Just as Beast Boy was nearing the finish line, which would win him the game, the TV cut out, and a red warning siren flared up. "NO!" Beast Boy shouted, falling to the ground in a heap; his dreams shattered. Robin jumped up and immediately ran over to his computer, bringing up what caused the alarm.

"Yo Rob, what seems to be the trouble? Mumbo break out of jail? Control Freak get his hands on his remote again?" Cyborg said.

"Worse…much worse." Robin growled, his brow furrowing.

"Please tell me that it is not Slade." Starfire said, worry flashing across her face. Robin didn't respond, instead he merely turned his monitor around, showing everyone what had caused him to anger. The team responded quickly and efficiently, Starfire and Raven taking to the skies while the boys headed to the T-Car. It wasn't long before they arrived in the panic that was now downtown Jump City.

"TITANS! GO!" That was all the team needed to hear. Within the blink of an eye, the five teenaged heroes advanced on their foe, who, to the common passerby, looked to be the average man. Lanky build, brown hair, brown eyes, dressed in jeans, work boots, a flat cap, a simple white tee and a brown blazer, no taller than six foot even; he looked no more dangerous than any other man you'd see on the street. Of course, if one looked at the scene surrounding the group, you'd realize the man was extremely dangerous, judging by the damage that was at his feet. People were laying on the ground around him, unconscious or writhing in agony.

"Now, now, children," the man said in a tone dripping with snide condescension, a very slight Cockney accent hidden in his voice, "Why don't you back off, and let the real heroes handle me. There's no way a group of teenagers could handle a man as dangerous as myself. He…he…he."

"We'll see about that," the young leader of the group, replied, malice falling off of his words. "I don't know who you are or why you've done this, but it will be my team that brings you to justice." He then threw several bird-a-rangs at the man, who expertly and effortlessly dodged them. However, he soon was faced with a large, green gorilla, who was charging him full force. He nimbly side-stepped the ape though, and it was become increasingly obvious that the man was as agile as he looked. After skirting Beast Boy, he ducked underneath some rubble, which was still surrounded by Raven's dark energy. He then raced forward, quickly approaching the team's leader, all while dodging starbolts, sonic shots, and exploding discs.

Without hesitation, he grabbed Robin's head, his hand covering the boy wonder's face entirely. "Now you'll see, young man, why they call me Payne." Suddenly red electricity burst out of the man's hand. Robin began screaming in agony, desperately trying to get away from his foe. But it was no use, the man's grasp was far too tight. However, the villain let go, as a mix of green and blue energy shot at him from above and behind. Robin, released of his enemy's grip, slumped to the ground, unconscious.

"You will let my boyfriend go!" Starfire shouted, her eyes burning with righteous fury.

"No one gets away with hurting my friend like that!" Cyborg shouted simultaneously, his arm still in its sonic cannon form.

"Now, now, robo-man, you'll find that your friend is mostly undamaged." The villain continued, a grin plastered to his face. He proceeded to back away from the four remaining titans, before saying, "However, I grow weary of babysitting you five. If you excuse me, I must be going, other duties to attend to and what not." With that, the man hit a button on what appeared to be his watch and was bathed in an eerie light, teleporting to some unknown location. Upon his retreat, Starfire immediately flew to Robin's side, who was still out cold. Cyborg and Beast Boy examined the area where their unknown assailant previously stood.

Starfire turned to Raven, who was in the process of healing the boy, tears starting to form in her eyes. "Friend Raven, please tell me he will be alright. Oh, he just has to be."

"Calm down Starfire, he's just unconscious." Raven responded.

"Then that means you can heal him right?"

"That's the thing Starfire, for some reason, I just can't seem to heal him at all. We're going to need a better examination of him before we can fix him up." With that, Starfire scooped up her boyfriend, unsure of what she should do next. Raven merely pulled up her hood, hiding her face from the others.

"That's odd." Cyborg said, his arm scanning the area where this man who called himself Payne stood moments ago.

"What's odd, dude?" Beast Boy responded, quickly looking between Cyborg's scanner and the spot where their enemy stood seconds before.

"Well, normally teleporters leave an energy signature or a radiation trail in the area where they worked. But I'm not picking anything up. It's like he vanished or something."

"Weird." Beast Boy replied. He then shifted into a bloodhound, and sniffed the ground. He gave a howl, before switching back to his human form. "I don't smell anything either. You're right, it's like he's gone without a trace."

"Guys," Raven interrupted, in her usual dry monotone, "I think we should head back to the tower. We need to run some tests on Robin."

"Gotcha Raven," Cyborg responded, folding the scanner back into his arm and pulling out the keys to his car.

On their way to the T-Car, Beast Boy lightly grabbed Raven's arm, getting her attention. "What happened back there, Rae?" The green changeling asked, worry tingeing his voice. "Why didn't your powers heal him?"

"I…I don't know Gar. I honestly can't think of a reason why my powers didn't work."

"Well, it is Robin after all." Beast Boy chirped, optimism returning to his tone, "I'm sure he'll be back on his feet in no time."

"Let's hope so Beast Boy…let's hope so."

After a morose drive back to the tower, Cyborg quickly hooked Robin up to some medical equipment, and began running various scans on the boy wonder. After a couple hours of work, the robotic teen approached the rest of the group, who had been spending their time in the common room, waiting for his results. "Well the good news is that Robin's physically fine. He suffered nothing more than some minor contusions from the guy's grip. Dude sure was strong for being such a lanky guy." Everyone perked up at that, Starfire especially seemed happy. "The bad news is that whatever the guy did to him did some serious mental trauma. From his readings, this Pain guy managed to directly stimulate every nerve in Robin's face to give out massive trauma signals."

"Whoa, slow down, dude," Beast Boy chimed in, "What exactly are you saying."

"What I'm saying," Cyborg continued, slight aggravation in his tone, "Is that this guy managed to trick Robin's brain into thinking it was in extreme pain, without ever actually hurting him."

"Well, that explains why my powers didn't work," Raven said. Everyone turned and looked at her expectantly. She sighed and continued on, "My powers work by locating and isolating whatever damage has caused the pain, and removing it. Without a source of damage, my healing powers couldn't do anything as it couldn't find any trouble, per se."

"Can anyone around here speak simple English." Beast Boy said, grabbing the sides of his head in mock agony.

"Alright look," Raven said, giving Beast Boy her usual irritated glare, "This guy managed to make Robin's brain shut off by overwhelming it with pain signals. Well, Robin's brain still remained unconscious afterwards, however there was no longer a direct cause for this response, once this Pain or whatever stopped using his powers on him. Thus, I couldn't heal him because the source of duress had literally been removed." Beast Boy still looked confused, but nodded his head as if he understood.

Starfire then turned to Cyborg. "How long do you think it will take for Robin to wake up, friend Cyborg?" The Tamaranian asked.

"Don't know, but it should be soon. Hell, he should be up and walking right now, but he's not."

Suddenly the door swooshed open. "Well, from the looks of it, I'd say I'm doing just fine." Robin stood at the threshold, a smirk plastered to his face.

"Boyfriend Robin!" Starfire squealed, "You are the all better!" She then locked him in one of her vice-like hugs.

"Yeah, just a slight headache, so if you could keep it down a bit." Robin said strained but gently, not wanting to upset his girlfriend any more than she already had been. The rest of the team gave a collective sigh of relief, glad to see that their friend was alright.

"So…" Beast Boy began, "What's our next step?"

"I'm…I'm not sure Beast Boy. This is a new villain, one we don't know a whole lot about. He could be anywhere, waiting for the perfect time to strike again."

"Well, with guys like this you can always be sure that when they come back, they'll make a show of it." Raven snarked.

"And when he does…" Beast Boy continued, "We'll be sure to kick his butt."

Later that night, the team had settled down and, although still uneasy about their new foe, decided to partake in their weekly evening ritual of movie night. It was Cyborg's turn to choose a movie this week, and he had picked out _The Grid: Uprisings_. However, the metallic teen seemed to be the only one interested in actually watching the film. Starfire and Robin were too…preoccupied with other actions. Raven simply didn't care, as she wasn't a huge sci-fi fan; she was only there to be polite. As for Beast Boy, his thoughts were wandering elsewhere. His eyes kept drifting towards a certain purple-haired teammate, although he darted them back to the movie whenever she looked over at him. He wasn't sure why he kept doing it, it just kept happening, as if his eyes had a mind of their own.

Once the movie ended, each teen gave their respective goodnights, and headed off to bed, tired from the day's events. Right as Beast Boy walked into his room, however, a black claw grabbed him, swung him around, and pulled him back out into the hallway. As he flew through the various twists and turns in the tower, it wasn't long before he realized where he was heading…Raven's room. The door to her room opened and he was dragged across the threshold, putting him right in front of the pale girl.

The two teens looked at each other for a second, Beast Boy slightly terrified and Raven slightly irritated, before Raven gave a sigh and said, "Don't think I didn't notice what you were doing tonight." Beast Boy gave her his traditional blank stare. She sighed, pinched the bridge of her nose, and continued on. "You were staring at me, the entire night."

Realization hit the green changeling like a ton of bricks. Panic replaced all rational thought as two ideas were racing through the poor teen's head. One was saying, "She is going to kill me!" while the other was saying, "RUN FOR YOUR LIFE!" Beast Boy tried to act on the later, but he had forgotten he was still ensnared by Raven's magic. After a couple seconds of futile struggling, Beast Boy gave up and braced himself for the defenestration he was about to receive. But after nothing happened for a minute or two, Beast Boy tentatively opened his eyes. He was sitting on his bed, in his room. "Okay," he said to no one in particular, "How'd I end up back here? Was it all a dream? I think I need lay off the hot sauce." With that, he fell back onto his pillow and was asleep in a matter of seconds.

Meanwhile, in a completely different part of the city, Payne walked into a dark warehouse. Shadowy figures surrounded him, talking quietly amongst themselves. However, the villain walked up to one of the figures and gave an elaborate bow. "I have done as you asked, sir," Payne said to the figure in front of him, "The Titans know of my existence, although why you're worried about these children is beyond me."

"Silence Payne." The shadowy figure responded in a booming baritone. "I don't pay you to think. You only need to concern yourself with the tasks that I give you and nothing more. You may take your leave."

"As you wish, my master." Payne then bowed again and retreated into the darkness that filled the building.

"Soon…" The shadowy figured continued, "Soon, the Titans will be struck powerless, and I will spread the word to the people of Jump City." The silhouettes all murmured in agreement. "And the word is…madness. He… he… ha… ha… aha… AHA… AHAHAHA!" The others began laughing in harmony with their leader, a maddening chorus that sounded like a scream to the outside world.

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A/N: Not quite sure what to say here, so I'll make it short and sweet. I haven't submitted anything to this site in a long time, and even then it was under a different user name. A somewhat dark set-up to a somewhat dark story. But don't worry, there shall be fluff and humor. I guess I laid the BBxRae a little heavy in this chapter, but I actually need to establish that relationship, unlike with Rob and Star. I'll try to keep everyone in character, but if I stray don't hesitate to tell me. Constructive criticism is appreciated. And point out any spelling and grammar mistakes I make; I type fast and tend to miss things when proofreading.


	2. Prelude to Madness

A/N: Alright I figured out what this portion of the author's notes will be dedicated to. I shall use this time before the story to answer any questions presented by the readers. If I don't get any questions, I guess I'll use this space to sort of explain my writing process. Okay, here we go, Chapter 2.

Disclaimer: I gave a disclaimer in the first chapter, that should cover my ass for the next couple chapters.

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Prelude to Madness

_Finger on the trigger and close your eyes/The worst we know is the best surprise/Finger's on the trigger, so close your eyes/This is a warning – High School Football Heroes "This is a Warning"_

"Payne," a dull monotone said, through the door to the villain's room, "Get up. The boss has a job for you today."

"Wha? Oh yeah, sure no problem." With that, Payne got off of his cot and began to put on his clothes. As he grabbed his garments, all very similar to what he wore the other day, he scanned his room, a morning ritual if you will. The main thing he noticed, which he noticed every morning, was that it was dark. The room felt more like a jail cell in all honesty, but Payne didn't complain. He was never one for sentiment.

A small envelope slid under the door as the man finished putting on his jacket, and the voice on the other side continued, "I have a question, Payne."

"Well, go ahead, ask your question." Payne responded, as he quickly brushed his brown hair and put on his flat cap. He then picked up, opened, and read his assignment.

"Why does the boss keep sending you out? Why are you the only one who has done anything?"

"It's obvious, mate. I represent madness from injury and pain. My powers aren't suited for destruction or death. I'm the first wave, the softening blow. I'm weakening up the titans, so we can take them out with the big guns." With that, Payne opened the door. On the other side was a giant of a man, shrouded in the darkness of the poorly lit hallway. "Namely, you."

"Aren't you worried that they'll kill you?"

"You're not the brightest mug, are ya?" Payne looked apologetically at his comrade. "They're heroes. They don't have the guts to kill." With that, Payne turned around and walked away from the hulking man behind him. "And that'll be their downfall," he mumbled to himself.

Elsewhere in Jump City, the morning was progressing as usual. Robin had gotten up early, as usual, and made a pot of coffee and went into town to grab the morning paper; the editor-in-chief made it very clear that he wouldn't deliver the paper to an island in the bay. Raven was next, and she merely began boiling some water for her morning tea. Cyborg was the next teen up, and he began making breakfast for anyone interested. Starfire was the next, grabbing a bottle of mustard and some food Cy had made. It was around this time that Robin came back with the newspaper, waking Beast Boy on his way to the common room. Beast Boy would then walk in, and start making himself some vegetarian version of whatever Cyborg made.

It had been several days since Payne's attack, and the titans were beginning to grow restless, especially Robin. No matter how hard the boy wonder searched, he just couldn't dig up any real information on the guy. The best he could find was a newspaper clipping from London which talked about the exploits of a bank robber who called himself 'Payne'. Other than that, nothing, nadda, zilch.

Thus Robin was biding his time, waiting for his opponent to strike, knowing that criminals like him would always attack again. In fact, right as Robin put down the paper and finished his coffee, the alert went off. Robin immediately sprang to his computer, and gave a slight smirk after looking at the screen for a second. The others didn't even need to say it. They already knew.

"TITANS! MOVE!" With that, the five heroes were moving towards Jump City, Beast Boy morphing into a pterodactyl and grabbing Cyborg, Starfire grabbing Robin. They arrived at Payne's location as fast as possible and were on the villain before he even realized they were there. Beast Boy dropped Cyborg, who then proceeded to hit Payne hard on the jaw, making the villain stumble back a bit. However, the man regained his senses fast enough to avoid some debris thrown by Raven.

"About time you five got here." Payne said, all while trying to land a couple blows on the now grounded Beast Boy, his hands charged with crimson energy, "I was beginning to think you didn't care." He then grabbed Starfire and began using his powers on her. Through gritted teeth she stood her ground, trying to get the villain of off her. Luckily, he let go as several bird-a-rangs flew at him. He then shot out at Cyborg, catching the metallic teen off guard. His signature red electricity flew out of his hand and enveloped his opponent. "Thus falls the robo-man." Yet, Cyborg stood his ground, seemingly unaffected by the villain's power.

"You may be able to fool the man," Cyborg said, "But the machine in me knows there's no damage." With that, he grabbed Payne's wrist and threw him across the street. "Looks like your out of luck, pal."

"You would think that, but I always carry a trick or two up my sleeve." He then pulled something out of his pocket and threw it at Robin. Robin grabbed the object out of the air, smirking at the villain's failed attack. Then he realized that Payne had thrown an envelope at him. Robin snorted, anger flashing across his face. He understood that they had reached a standstill. Payne was surrounded, but he didn't look nervous or afraid, instead he looked overly confidant, arrogant even. It was clear…he wanted to be where he was.

"What do you want?" Robin hissed, malice entwined with his words.

"Oh, it's not about what I want, my dear boy. It's about what the boss wants. You see, titans, your precious order and law and whatnot, they're all balanced on the edge of a knife. We merely intend to pull the knife away."

"Seriously, do you people just hate talking normally or something?" Beast Boy quipped.

"Anarchy. He wants anarchy, Beast Boy." Raven snarked.

"Indeed, young girl." Everyone turned as a new voice approached them. A gaunt, pale man dressed in a black robe walked towards the group. He was bald and had dark shadows underneath his eyes.

"Decay!" Payne shouted, mock joy in his voice, "And here I thought I was going to have to finish them off alone!"

"Silence, Payne. You talk too much. I came, not to save you, but because I was instructed to save you." Suddenly, sickly, green energy started amassing in his hands, and he threw two balls of the green magic at the titans. The teens dodged, and one of the balls missed completely, slamming into a car. However, one of the balls clipped Raven's cape. The effect was potent and immediate. The area that the ball hit instantly began to rot and decay, until it was gone entirely.

"Corrosion magic," Raven gasped, surprise breaking her normal monotone. She then looked at the car that had been hit by the other ball of magic. The car had rusted to a state of malfunction.

"I see someone is familiar with my work. Well, young ones, know that Sanity's Edge is watching you. Come Payne, your job is done here."

"Ta-ta for now, children." With that, the two villains were bathed in the same eerie glow from the other day, and began teleporting away.

"NO YOU DON'T!" Robin yelled, as he lunged for the two men, his bo staff drawn. However he swiped nothing but empty air. "DAMNIT!" He shouted, throwing his weapon on the ground.

"Yo dude, calm down. We'll get them next time." Cyborg said, putting his hand on Robin's shoulder.

Robin took a deep breath and sighed. "You're right. It's just so stressful, having these villains out there and knowing nothing about them."

"You know boyfriend Robin," Starfire said coyly, "I might know of some Tamaranian stress relief methods you might be…interested in." Robin began to blush and tugged at his collar. Beast Boy and Cyborg began whooping, embarrassing their leader even more.

"I hate to interrupt, but we should talk about this new guy's magic," Raven droned, pulling everyone's attention to her. "He was using corrosion magic, as you can see from my cloak and that car." She lifted her cape to emphasize her point. "I don't know the full extent of his ability with it, but it makes him extremely dangerous. With this magic he can rot or corrode any matter he touches, plus he has some long range capabilities too."

"That's not good." Beast Boy responded, his ears drooping.

"The grass stain's right. Can we even touch this guy?" Cyborg continued.

"Technically yes. As long as he doesn't shield himself with his magic we should be fine, but whatever you do, don't let him touch you."

Robin nodded in agreement, but another thing was concerning him. "What did he mean by 'Sanity's Edge is watching you.'?" He then took notice of the letter that Payne had tossed at him earlier.

"Don't just stare at it, man, open it up." Cyborg said, taking note of Robins hesitance.

"Alright, alright, I'm opening it." Inside the envelope was a small digital voice recorder. Robin looked at it for second, scanning it for any obvious traps, and then, after finding nothing unusual, pressed play.

The device crackled for second before a deeply modulated voice began to speak. "Hello titans," it began, "I believe Payne has already told you about Sanity's Edge and our goal, so I'll skip the formalities. No need to reiterate what has been said, but I will not tell you anything new. No, you must earn that right. In fact, you shall receive more information should you beat your next opponent. You will receive the coordinates and time of your next battle upon returning to your precious tower. In exchange, I promise to make sure no one on my team will attack your city until after the fight. And titans, should you chose not to come to the battle, there will be dire consequences." With that, the message ended, and the recorder sparked with electricity before falling apart.

"Well…shit." Cyborg said. "So Rob, what should we do."

Robin stared at the broken recorder for a second before giving a large sigh. He then turned around and faced his friends. "Let's regroup at the tower. We can discuss our options there." The others nodded in agreement and took off back towards the tower.

Once they five got back to the tower, they went to the common room and stood around the kitchen table. "So dude, what's the plan." Beast Boy said, now that everyone was comfortable. Everyone turned to Robin, expecting him to come up with a course of action. However, just as Robin was about to speak, his communicator went off. He flipped it open to see what the trouble was.

However, instead of showing a titan in trouble, all that was on the screen was a set of coordinates and a time. Robin quickly checked to see where the coordinates were. "So, I guess we've gotten the info for our next fight." Cyborg said as he walked over to Robin. "Any idea where we're going?"

"Yeah, the coordinates he gave us plant us right in the middle of an open field just outside of the city. Apparently, their leader wants us to go there in five days at noon."

"I don't know Robin," Raven said, "Should we even trust these guys? Who's to say it's not just a trick?"

"Raven's right, dude!" Beast Boy shouted, "It could be an ambush or a way to get us out of the city or something."

"Honestly man, this whole thing reeks of a trap." Cyborg added.

"You may be right, but it's the only lead we have right now. And like it or not, we're going to follow through with this!" With that, Robin closed his communicator and left the room, most likely heading to his office in the evidence room to stew in his frustration.

"Well alrighty then." Cyborg said after a moment, trying to break the tension. "I think I'm gonna go work on the T-Car." With that, Cyborg left the room, and headed down to the garage.

"I shall go make sure Robin is feeling well." Starfire said, leaving the room and leaving Beast Boy and Raven alone. The two awkwardly stood around for a second before moving over to the couch; Beast Boy picking up his Gamestation controller and Raven picking up her book.

After a while, Beast Boy, no longer able to stand the silence, spoke up. "Hey Rae, you seemed really worried about that guys magic back there."

Raven tore her attention away from the book to focus on the green changeling. "Beast Boy, corrosion magic is extremely dangerous. Not only that but it's forbidden to even practice the art. The mere fact that he even wields it shows how insane he is. So, yes, I'm worried."

Beast Boy slumped in his seat. "Sorry for bringing it up," he responded glumly. Silence returned to the room.

"You know," Raven said, trying to change the topic, "You never did answer my question last night."

Beast Boy froze, his face stuck in a horrified position. He then wrenched his head around to face the gothic girl. "So…I guess that wasn't a dream then." Raven just stared at him, one eyebrow raised. "So…the reason was…um…let's see…oh! You know, I think I hear Cyborg calling. OkayseeyoulaterRae!" Beast Boy then transformed into a falcon and flew out of the room.

"Well, that got me nowhere." Raven said aloud. She then gave a sigh, blew a strand of hair out of her face, and returned to reading.

Meanwhile in Beast Boy's room, the green shapeshifter was on his bed, deep in thought. 'What am I doing?' he thought, 'Why do my thoughts keep wandering back to Raven? What does it mean?' At this point, he had gotten off of his bed and began pacing around in his room. 'Do I…do I like her?' He then fell back on his bed. "Ugh," he groaned, "Why do these things have to be so hard?"

"Robin…" Starfire said tentatively, as she lightly knocked on the door to his office, "May I come in?"

"Yeah, you can come in." Robin responded, albeit hesitantly. Starfire proceeded to enter the dimly lit room. The boy wonder was currently at his computer, furiously typing away.

"Robin," Starfire began, "May I ask what you are doing?"

"I'm trying to see if there's any more information on Sanity's Edge that I can dig up."

"Are you having the luck?"

"No," Robin sighed. "I can't find anything about this group, and I've tried everything. I even asked the League if they had heard anything about them."

"Don't fret Robin. I am sure that we will learn about these villains soon."

"Yeah, I guess we'll learn more about them in a couple of days." The spikey-haired boy then let out a sigh and grabbed the sides of his head. "I just wish we could gain some sort of advantage before then."

"Come here,' Starfire said, picking the boy up and pulling him into a tender embrace. Robin locked up for a second, before relaxing and reciprocating the hug. "Now then," Starfire said, perking up, "Get ready, we are going on a plum tonight."

"A date, Star." Robin corrected

"Yes, a 'date'."

"Are you sure though? What about Sanity's Edge?"

"Robin, do not worry yourself. The have promised not to attack for five days. Should we not use this time to relax and rest? Or, perhaps you do not wish to go on a date with me." Starfire than gave Robin the saddest look she could muster.

Robin caved quickly. "Alright, alright. We can go out. But not tonight, I'm really tired, and I think everyone needs some sleep."

"Yes Robin, I understand." Starfire said as she left the room, a small smile on her face. In all honesty, she was just glad to have convinced Robin to get out of the tower with her. She then flew off to her room in order to get ready for tomorrow night.

The following day was actually fairly uneventful. The only major crisis was a bank robbery that was foiled by police efforts. The titans didn't even have to make an appearance. So, the teens were making the most of this time to relax and prepare themselves for the fight. Everyone except Beast Boy that is. The only thing he had dedicated himself to doing that day was avoiding Raven. And he was doing a pretty good job of it too.

However, the girl he had been avoiding had taken notice to the lack of the green changeling and decided to end his shenanigans once and for all. Being as quiet as she could possibly be, she entered the common room, where Beast Boy was reading a comic book. "Beast Boy," she said, after getting right behind him, "Why are you avoiding me?"

"EEP!" The young titan shouted as he jumped into the air. "Raven! How nice to see you. Well I gottagetgoingBYE!"

"No you don't! Not this time!" Raven then grabbed Beast Boy with her magic and dragged him back over to her.

"Please Raven, don't kill me. I'm sorry, I'll do anything you want, please!" Beast Boy was desperate now. He'd promise her the moon if it meant not getting thrown out the window.

"You know Garfield," Raven said, hurt showing in her voice, "I thought we were friends. I thought we wouldn't keep secrets from each other, but clearly I was wrong." She then dropped the emerald teen on the floor.

Beast Boy scrambled to his feet and scratched the back of his head. "Geez, I'm sorry Raven," he said honestly, "I guess I wasn't thinking about how you felt."

"Clearly." She then began to walk away.

"Wait," Beast Boy said, catching her shoulder. "Let me do one more thing without thinking."

"What are you talking abou-" Beast Boy then gave her a peck on the cheek, before running out of the room, leaving the pale girl frozen in place, her mouth agape, a slight blush rising to her cheeks.

Down in the garage, Cyborg was working on the T-Car when dark energy surrounded the automobile and threw it through the wall and out into the bay. "What the? How the? Wha buh WHY?" That was all the metallic teen could say before breaking down into tears.

Later that evening, Starfire entered the common room dressed for her date. She was wearing a pink tank top and a light blue mini-skirt. She also wore pink flip-flops instead of her usual boots. Robin, who was already waiting for her, was wearing a crimson red polo and dark blue jeans. He kept his mask on, obviously, and he was wearing sneakers instead of his steel-toed boots.

"Are you ready to go Star?" Robin asked, as he approached his girlfriend.

"Yes, but I must ask. What is the matter with friend Raven?" Star then pointed over towards Raven, who hadn't moved in the past couple hours. Although she was able to close her mouth, her entire face had turned a deep red. She was also stammering and muttering under her breath, but it was all unintelligible.

"I'm not entirely sure Star. But if I had to take a guess, I'd go with Beast Boy."

"Hey ya'll!" Cyborg shouted as he entered the common room. "Well don't you two look cute, getting all cleaned up for you−what's wrong with Raven?"

"Don't know." Robin repeated.

"Oooookay. Well, I managed to fish the T-Car out of the bay, but it needs some repairs. Guess you two will just have to take the R-Cycle instead."

"Alright, thanks Cy. Don't forget, you're in charge while we're gone. Don't hesitate to call us if you need help."

"Don't worry man. Just have a good time." With that Robin and Starfire left the room, heading down towards the garage. "Now then," Cyborg then turned to the frozen Raven, "Rae, have you seen Beast Boy?"

"Beast Boy?" she weakly mumbled back.

"Yeah, have you seen him?"

"Beast Boy." she repeated, however it was in her normal tone.

"Are you okay Raven?"

"BEAST BOY!" She shouted, as her eyes divided and turned red. She then flew out of the room and down the hallway. As she flew around the tower, she was trying to think of where the changeling would be hiding. He wasn't in his room nor any bathroom. In fact, it looked like he wasn't in the tower at all. Raven then calmed down and focused. 'Where is he?' she thought. 'Where would he be right now?' After thinking for a minute it hit her, and she flew out of the tower and down to a large rock on the shore. Sure enough, Beast Boy was sitting on it, skipping rocks across the water. "Hey." She said bluntly, as she sat down next to him.

"Hey." He reciprocated. The two sat in silence for several minutes, simply staring out at the city.

"Garfield, do you want to talk about what happened earlier." Raven said coolly.

Beast Boy gave a sigh and turned to Raven. "I don't know. I mean I don't know how I feel. I mean you've always been there for me." Raven raised her eyebrow at that. "You were there for me after…after Terra left, and after the incident with the Beast."

"And you were there for me after Malchior." Raven added.

"Yeah. You're like the one constant in my life. You're the one who's always been there for me. It just it makes sense to me." Beast Boy then rested his head on his knees. "Why do things have to be so complicated?"

"Gar…I don't know what to say. I'm…flattered that you feel that way about me. I think I'm going to need to meditate on this for a while, okay."

"Yeah, no problem." With that, Raven flew up into the tower, most likely to her room.

"So where are we going tonight?" Starfire said, as Robin raced through downtown Jump City.

"Oh, that's a surprise." Robin sais mysteriously, a smirk on his face. He suddenly stopped in front of an upscale sushi bistro on one of the busier streets of the city. "Here we are." Robin said, taking off his helmet while grabbing Starfire's hand. "Shall we find a table?" He then escorted the princess inside, having reserved a table the day before. The dinner was great, with both teens ordering a variety of dishes, before paying the bill and walking out into hustle and bustle of the city.

"Oh, Robin. That was most exquisite. I had no idea your people enjoyed raw seafood so much. Might I ask what we are doing next?"

"Well Star, I thought we could go see a movie."

"That sounds most wonderful." Starfire beamed, as she began to float slightly.

"Um…excuse me sir." A man in a busboy's uniform tapped Robin on the shoulder. "The head waiter said that you left this at your table." He then meekly held out Robin's communicator.

"Oh! Thanks! Here, for your trouble." Robin then gave the man ten dollars, before the busboy turned around and ran back inside. "Now then," the spikey-haired teen said as he turned back to Starfire, "Where were we?"

"I believe we were here." Starfire then pulled Robin in for a large kiss. The two then wandered off towards the movie theater.

Overall, they both enjoyed the film, and arrived back at the tower around midnight. Beast Boy and Cyborg had gone to sleep, however Raven was meditating on the roof. Robin decided to go to bed as well, however Starfire was concerned about her female friend, and decided to check on her. "Raven," Starfire said tentatively, not wanting to anger the empath, "Are you feeling alright? Do you wish to engage in the 'girl talk'?"

Raven merely motioned Starfire to come over to her. She then stopped chanting and sat down on the roof. Starfire walked over and sat next to her. "How was your date?" Raven said, nonchalantly.

"Oh it was most wonderful. Robin took me out to dinner and then we went to see a movie!"

"Was it…was it fun?"

"May I ask why you wish to know?"

"No reason!" Raven said defensively, pulling her hood up. In all honesty it was to hide the rising blush in her cheeks.

"Tell me Raven, do you have the 'crush' for a boy?"

"Well…um…I…"

"Oh this is a cause for celebration! Tell me who it is! Is it Speedy? Or Aqualad? Maybe it is Jericho? Or is it…" Starfire trailed off as a sly grin appeared on her face. "Or is it a certain green changeling." Raven's flinching at his mention gave her away. "It is isn't it? Oh, what did he do to make you feel this way?"

"He might have kissed me on the cheek earlier."

"Oh! That explains why you were not moving this afternoon. So what are you going to do about it?"

"I don't know. My emotions are in turmoil right now. They can't make up their minds on if they want to kill him or kiss him."

"Well I think you will find your answer soon enough, friend Raven. Now please, let us get some sleep."

"You're right Star. Let's go." The two girls than got up and walked to their respective rooms.

* * *

A/N: And done…for now. So this portion of the author's notes shall be dedicated to explaining why I have certain characters do certain things. Sort of clarifying their actions and what not. So…let's begin with the big clarification, the Beast Boy/Raven pairing. I always sensed a connection between these two. However, while there was an excellent base for a relationship, in my opinion, there was no action, no real romantic gestures. Thus, I have it so that the two understand the connection, but they aren't sure what to do about it. They've both had their hearts broken, and are hesitant to try again. Ever since the episode "How Long is Forever?" it's been obvious to me that Starfire was the heart of the group, the emotional glue that kept everyone together. Thus it makes sense, in my mind, that others would come to her with emotional problems. Robin always struck me as someone who hated dead-ends and a lack of info, but hated disappointing his friends even more, thus he would be more willing to not hurt Starfire than he would to stay cooped up in his office looking for clues.


	3. Unanswered Questions

A/N: Wow, another chapter done. Sorry about it being a bit shorter than the last one, but this one does have more action than the last. So, since I haven't gotten any questions (seriously you guys can ask me anything, within reason of course,) I was thinking I'd talk a bit about how I write, but then I realized that that is boring, so I'll talk about inspirations instead. First of all, most OCs I create are based off of their power, and then I shape them from there. Thus with say Payne, I created a character who could literally create pain, and then added on the rest of his character from there. It's fun for me to see how many characters I can create doing this. That's enough from me for now though. Oh, and thanks for the reviews I've gotten so far!

* * *

Unanswered Questions

_I need a gun to keep myself from harm/The poor people are burning in the sun/But they ain't got a chance, they ain't got a chance – Gorillaz "Dirty Harry"_

The day had come. It was time for the fight. The teens had prepared themselves in a variety of ways, although none of them were quite sure as to who or what they would be facing in a mere couple hours. They weren't nervous though, as they had fought much worse…much worse. Still, the air of the tower was buzzing with nervous energy. It had been a while since they had been invited to a fight.

Robin had just finished restocking his utility belt and had entered the common room looking something to eat. It was roughly 11:00 a.m., and the others were up and about as well. Robin took note of Raven and Beast Boy sitting at opposite ends of the couch and that Cyborg wasn't in the room. He turned to his girlfriend, who was sitting at the kitchen table reading a magazine, and asked her, "Hey, have you seen Cy?"

"Yes, I believe he said something about upgrades for his 'baby'."

"Figures," Robin said, stifling a chuckle. He then grabbed a bagel and sat down next to Starfire, resting his arm around her neck. She sighed briefly before returning to her gossip rag.

Beast Boy was trying his hardest to not irritate Raven, hence his sitting far away from her. Ever since their conversation on the rock, Beast Boy was focused on giving the empath her space, letting her approach him when she had an answer. He was currently pursuing this task by reading a comic book and keeping silent.

Interestingly enough, Raven was the one to break the silence in the room. "You know Beast Boy, you don't have to sit so far away, I'm not going to bite." Everyone in the room craned their heads to look at her. Robin almost starting choking on his bagel.

"No problem Rae!" Beast Boy beamed, as he got up and sat down closer to the girl in question.

"Is Raven feeling well?" Robin asked the orange girl beside him.

"Oh, I think she is doing most fine." Starfire responded, a sly grin flashing across her face.

Time passed, and soon it was time to go. The team piled into the T-Car and headed off towards their destination, a small, vacant knoll on the outskirts of the city. The team got out of the car and took a battle stance as they looked at the lone figure standing in the field.

The man was wearing a black leather vest which was open displaying his bare chest and abs. He was wearing jeans and black boots as well. He had two pistol holsters attached to his belt. As for looks, he had short, spikey, black hair and a goatee. He was fairly muscular and as tall as Cyborg. His skin was also tanned, but not overly dark. He had a long scar running over is right eye, it's paleness contrasting his bronze skin. He had his hands in his pockets as he awaited his opponents.

"Who are you?" Robin snarled as he drew his staff.

"Quick to the chase, I like that." The man responded, in a moderately accented voice. "You must be the one they call Robin, no? Well, they call me Draco Sanguis."

Robin was already having trouble pinning this guy down. His accent sounded like a drunken tour of the Romance countries, and his demeanor wasn't one of an enemy at all. He was too relaxed, too friendly. It was eerie, to say the least. "Alright, Draco, tell me something−"

"Oh no," the villain responded, his tone switching from jovial to irritated in a second, "That's not part of the deal. You must beat me first before I give you any more information." With that he whipped out two pistols. In all honesty though, they looked more like curved metal blades or steel fangs than guns. One of them had a tip that was glowing an angry red, while the other's tip was radiating a cool blue. "Meet my guns titans." He nodded towards the red tipped one, "This is Pyria," he motioned towards the other, "And this is Cyro."

"Robin," Cyborg whispered to his leader, "This guy is nuts. I say we take him down quick before he starts getting loopier."

"Agreed," Robin whispered back. "Alright Draco, I'm only going to say this once. Tell us more about Sanity's Edge, or we'll make you tell us."

"Oh, so you think you can threaten me? Pyria, show them what we do to noisy brats!" With that he pulled the trigger on his gun and a stream of fire shot out of it, aimed directly for Robin. Quickly though, a black shield of magic grew in front of the boy wonder, protecting him from harm. Draco shot a nasty look over at Raven. "You have a witch too? Ah, well Cyro has something to say about that." With that he fired off his other gun, a jet of blue ice flying at Raven this time. She quickly raised a shield, and the ice slammed into it forming a thick wall in front of the dark girl. Raven gave a sigh of relief, but another jet of ice punched through the ice wall, catching her off guard. Luckily, a green tentacle shot out, pulling her to the side at the last second. Raven nodded appreciatively at Beast Boy, in octopus form, before returning her focus to the fight.

Robin was currently engaged in hand-to-hand combat with Draco, the villain swiping at the teen with his guns, which made reasonably effective knives, while Robin was using his staff to deflect and block the incoming attacks. The gunslinger then slammed his guns down at Robin, intending to slash his chest. Robin expertly blocked with his staff, stopping the weapons at head-level. Draco smirked then fired off his guns, point-blank.

With the reflexes of an acrobat, Robin nimbly let go of his staff and flipped back, narrowly dodging the streams of ice and fire. Draco scowled and spat at Robin, before continuing the assault. However, he was interrupted as Starfire pelted him with her signature technique, forcing the man to back off. Draco quickly shot off a fireball at his new attacker, however she dodged it, easily flying over it. The villain snarled and fired of another fireball, before being knocked off his feet by Cyborg's sonic cannon. "You titans irritate me to no bound!" Draco yelled as he stood back up. He proceeded to fire off several iceballs at Cyborg.

Cyborg quickly shot down the projectiles, before turning to Robin, who was now standing next to him, and saying, "Man this guy just doesn't let up. We knock him down, and he gets right back on his feet."

"I know what you mean." Robin responded, "Every time we land a hit on this guy, he just gets more pissed off. It's like it doesn't even phase him." The boy wonder then leaped back into the fight to help out Beast Boy, who was engaging with Draco in bear form. The two fought back the foe, keeping him away from Star and Raven who were trying to throw off his balance by pelting him with projectiles.

"Raven, I do not understand. Why does this Draco keep fighting? Surely he realizes that he is outmatched. Would it not be easier for him to simply give up?"

"I don't think this guy knows how to give up Star. But you raise a good point. Sanity's Edge couldn't possibly have thought one person would be a match for us, so why only send this guy?" Raven quickly sidestepped Cyborg, who was thrown back by a blast of fire, scorch marks lining his metal parts.

"Yo! Less talking, more fighting!" Cyborg than jumped back on his feet and reentered the fray. The girls sighed and continued with their barrage on Draco.

However, despite their best efforts, no headway was being made in the fight. No matter how close the boys got to the villain, he would always fire off a couple shots of ice or fire, pushing them back. The only things that were getting through to him were starbolts and debris thrown by Raven, but he simply shrugged it off, as if in a berserker rage. Robin then tossed several exploding discs at the villain's feet, throwing him back.

"I will not be bested by children!" He screamed, as he got up and started firing off rapid shot of flame and ice at his opponents, relentlessly continuing the assault. "You will all face the wrath of Draco Sanguis!" At this, his eyes began to glow a horrible shade of red. He then fired off a terrific shot of fire, which began to take the form of a serpent, before slamming into the ground in front of Beast Boy, causing a large explosion which sent the teen flying back. Stunned from the blast, the green changeling couldn't control himself as he landed on his head with a sickly crunch.

"NO!" Raven shouted, as everyone else gasped at the attack. Raven then ran over to the boy, as he was desperately trying to get up.

"Raven," he said weakly, slurring some of his words, "What happened? Is everyone alright?"

"Don't worry Beast Boy," Raven said, a small, comforting smile on her face. "Everyone's going to be fine."

"How sweet," Draco said in a mocking tone. "Step aside witch and let me finish your boyfriend off." He then raised Cyro, his eyes still glowing a ferocious red. Raven turned, her now four eyes also glowing red.

"SILENCE!" She roared. "You shall not harm another person here, you insipid fool!" A black claw then shot out from under Raven's cloak, grabbing Draco. She lifted him up, tightening her grip on him as well.

The villain glared at her, growling under his breath. Despite all of his struggling, he simply couldn't escape the grasp of his opponent. Just as he was opening his mouth to spit out a string of profanities, he was slammed into the ground, hard. He was then raised and slammed again…and again…and again. When Raven finally let up, Draco had been driven into the ground. His eyes had stopped glowing, and instead were filled with a simple look of astonishment. He moved his eyes to look at the team, Raven, having calmed down, was helping Beast Boy back to his feet while Robin, Cyborg, and Starfire surrounded him, each in an attack position, aiming for his face.

"You lose Draco." Robin said triumphantly, "Now then, give us what we came here for."

"It seems you children have bested me this time. But you will rue the day you angered the dragon of Sanity's Edge!" With that he threw an envelope at Robin's head and was then teleported away from the battle ground.

"So we won?" Beast Boy said wearily, his senses beginning to return to him.

"Yes Gar, now please try to rest." Raven said, tolerating the green boy using her as a crutch.

"I think we should take a look at this in private guys," Robin said as he motioned towards the envelope. "Let's regroup at the tower." Everyone started to move out once Robin finished. "Oh and Raven…" the empath turned to her leader, "I think I'll leave you in charge of getting Beast Boy to the med bay." Cyborg snickered at that, and Raven began to blush.

Later, back at the tower, Starfire, Cyborg and Robin were in the common room, about to open the envelope. At Raven's behest, they didn't wait for her and Beast Boy to get out of the infirmary. "Alright, if you don't open it spike-head, I will!" Cyborg said as he picked up the envelope.

Robin quickly snatched it out of his hand, opening it in the process. He then pulled out what was inside. It was a single sheet of paper. Robin quickly read it before furrowing his brow, tossing the paper on the table and leaving in a huff. Starfire and Cyborg were quick to pick up the paper and read it as well. It was a torn out sheet from a science textbook, explaining the nature of black holes and neutron stars, stellar corpses in other words. Both looked at each other confusedly. "I do not understand Cyborg. How is this information on Sanity's Edge?"

"I think that we were played Starfire." Starfire looked at him, not understanding what he meant. "We were tricked Star, they never were going to give us anything." Starfire nodded wordlessly before chasing after Robin.

"I should have known they would just give us more riddles!" Robin shouted, knowing Starfire was behind him.

"Do not feel bad, Robin. I am sure none of us expected this."

"But we should have! Trusting villains, what was I thinking?"

Star quickly grabbed Robin and spun him around, putting him at eye level with her. "You were thinking about what would be best for the team, Robin. That is all anyone can ask of you. Now please, do not beat yourself up over this." She then pulled him into a hug, holding back so that she wouldn't hurt her boyfriend.

"Thanks Star," Robin said, relaxing into the hug, "I don't know what I'd do without you."

Meanwhile, in the med bay, Cyborg had just left, having told Raven about what they received from Draco. The dark girl sighed, before turning her attention back to the green shapeshifter in the cot next to her. She had given him some heavy painkillers, and he was currently asleep. It turns out Beast Boy had received a moderate concussion and a hairline fracture in his skull, not to mention the various burns and frostbites that he, and the rest of the team, had gotten. But his condition was stable and Raven wasn't too worried.

"Hey Rae," Beast Boy mumbled, still half-asleep, "What did Cyborg want?" Raven turned to the viridian teen, amazed he had woken up, after all the drugs she had given to him.

"Nothing Garfield. Now please, go back to sleep."

Beast Boy grabbed her arm weakly and gave her his big grin. "Did I ever mention that you're really pretty when you're worried. But then again, you're always really pretty."

"I don't know if it's the painkillers talking or not, but this is for the compliment. She then took a deep breath, steeling her powers, and gently kissed him on the forehead. The window in the room cracked in response, but nothing else broke or exploded. Beast Boy then closed his eyes and fell back asleep. Raven then stood up and went back to her room to meditate, a smile on her face.

However, once getting to her room, she couldn't seem to focus on meditation. Instead she found herself puzzling over the information they received by beating the gunslinger. 'Clearly it has a double meaning,' the empath thought, 'But what…' Raven would find herself thinking this over far into the night.

Elsewhere, Draco was standing in front of a shadowy figure. "Good job Draco," the booming voice said.

"Don't taunt me, my lord. I was thoroughly beaten."

"Yes, but you kept the titans preoccupied for quite a while. In fact, you provided me with plenty of time to get this." He then revealed a small vile of green liquid."

"So I was merely a distraction?"

"Indeed Draco, and you did a marvelous job of it. We are now one step closer to our goal." Draco looked angry for a second, before beginning to laugh as he master too began to join in the mad cacophony.

The next day, the titans, sans Beast Boy, who was still recovering, had woken up early and gotten ready for the day, preparing for an attack from Sanity's Edge in retaliation for their victory yesterday. However, as minutes turned into hours, no signs of trouble could be seen in the city. Eventually, Cyborg went off to get the mail, as their mail was delivered to a special P.O. box. He returned with a small package that had no return address. Everyone knew what was inside it, no one had to say anything. Beast Boy then walked into the common room, hungry and feeling better. "Hey dudes!" He said in his chipper voice, "Did I get any fan mail today?" He then took note of everyone's demeanor and shut up.

Robin reached into the envelope and pulled out a small voice recorder, similar to the one from before. Robin pressed play on it almost immediately. "Hello titans," the same modulated voice form before said, "Congratulations on besting Draco yesterday. Of course one versus five should hardly be considered to be a fair fight. Nevertheless, I have decided that the next challenge I give you must be more…challenging. You shall receive coordinates and a time on your communicator, just as before." With that, the recorder shorted out and fell apart.

Robin's communicator then buzzed. The leader pulled out the device and opened it up. Robin then walked over to his computer and punched in the coordinates. His eyebrows raised slightly before he got up and walked back over to the team. "Get ready," he said, "The fight is at midnight… and it's at Slade's old base."

* * *

A/N: Okay, we're done here. I'll try to get the next chapter out soon, but no promises. As for character motivations, I think I kept everyone in character. If you wonder why a character did something, just ask me and I'll try to help you out. So,keep reading and reviewing and I'll talk to you later!


	4. Old Haunts

A/N: Holy shit that was fast! Ever have one of those days where you are just struck with inspiration? Yeah, today was one of those days for me. Thanks for the words of encouragement everyone. Other than that, I think I'll just let the story continue on.

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Old Haunts

_There's something going on that wasn't here before/Keep your eyes glued to the floor/There's something strange going on tonight/There's something going on that's not quite right – R.E.M. "Strange"_

Everyone stared at Robin, not entirely comprehending what he had just said. Beast Boy was the first to speak up. "Dude, are you serious? Like the old, creepy factory base? That's just too weird."

"I don't like it either Beast Boy, but it's what they want, and I don't want them to do anything drastic if we can prevent it."

"I agree with Robin," Starfire spoke up. "Besides, that house of wares isn't so bad. It is merely old, dark, and full of the bad memories."

"I honestly don't think we have a choice," Raven added dryly. "They'll attack the city at some time, but we should prevent it for as long as possible."

"Then it's settled." Cyborg concluded. "Whether we like it or not, the Teen Titans kick some ass at midnight tonight! It's a no-holds-barred beat down at Slade's Factory!" He finished, yelling into an imaginary mike like a wrestling referee. The titans had already filed out in the middle of Cy's rant, leaving him all alone in the room. "Guys? Where'd everyone go?"

Raven and Beast Boy had gone back to the med bay, in order to make sure the green teen was okay. "Garfield, are you sure you're alright?"

"Yeah Rae, don't worry!" Beast Boy chirped back.

"I'm serious Beast Boy." Raven said back, in her usual monotone. "The damage you took couldn't possibly be healed yet. Why are you acting like it's no big deal?"

"Well, you see…"

"And I don't want any of your excuses or any made-up fairy tales." Raven interrupted.

Beast Boy gave a harrumph, before carrying on. "Alright, well, I don't mention this a whole lot, but due to my DNA being all unstable and whatnot, this gives me heal really quickly. In fact, I can actually regrow limbs if a change into a sea star."

Raven raised an eyebrow at that last part. "Really? Has it ever happened to you?"

"Yeah once. Trust me, it's not as fun as it sounds." Beast Boy visually shuddered as he remembered the incident.

"It didn't really sound all that fun to start with."

"Exactly." The two teens then sat in the silence of the room, secretly enjoying one another's company. "So, I want to thank you for yesterday."

"Thank me? For what?"

"Well, when I was hurt by that guy, you flipped out. So…I guess I want to thank you for showing that you care." Beast Boy then gave her a big grin, while Raven tried to fight back the blush that was coming.

"Beast Boy, you're a teammate and a friend. Of course I care about you."

"So…we're just friends." Beast Boy said, very slight disappointment in his words.

"Oh Azar, I know what you're saying. It's just…I don't know what to say back. The last time I felt this way about anyone, he turned out to be a liar and a malevolent dragon."

"Yeah, I can see how that would hold you back a bit. But if it's any consolation, I'm not a dragon. Trust me, I've tried to turn into one. Mento still gets mad at me about that."

Raven just stared in amazement for a second, before regaining her composure. "You are such a dork."

"But I'm your dork." Beast Boy said, as he put his head on Raven's shoulder. He then looked up at her, giving her the sappiest look he could muster.

The empath just looked at the emerald changeling before sighing. "Alright, you win. You can take me out on a date. But if you screw this up, I swear I'm going to break-up with you."

"YAHOO!" Beast Boy said as he jumped onto his feet. He then bolted out of the room, to God knows where.

"What have I gotten myself into?" Raven mumbled as she walked out of the med bay, going to her room to read.

"So Robin…" Starfire said, as she wandered about in his room. "What should we do to pass the time?"

"I'm going down to the gym to workout. You can join me if you like." Robin said, as he walked over to his door.

"Certainly Robin. And I will try my hardest not to throw you into a wall, like last time!" Star said in her usual cheery demeanor. Robin merely gave an unsure smile, as if having second thoughts, before escorting his girlfriend down to the exercise room.

The two sparred for an hour or two, Star following her promise not to hurt Robin too badly, while Robin managed to get in some pretty decent blows of his own. By the end, both teens were sweating and worn out, ready for a quick break and some down time before the fight later that evening.

Time passed, and soon the team gathered in the common room for a pre-mission meeting. All five were sitting around the table, Star and Robin next to each other as were Raven and Beast Boy. The teens were talking amongst themselves, the general consensus being about their opponent for the battle that was just in a few hours.

"Maybe they will have us fight someone we have already fought with." Starfire said. "Perhaps the Mad Mod or Killer Moth."

"DUDE! What if it's Slade!" Beast Boy shouted.

"I doubt it Beast Boy," Robin responded. "A guy like that, there's no way he'd join a team of any sort."

"Yeah," Cyborg said, nodding in agreement, "I'm thinking it's going to be that Draco guy again. It sounded like he wants another go at us, and if he teamed up with Payne, we might be in trouble."

"As long as we aren't fighting Decay." Raven added. "I still don't like the fact that they have someone who uses corrosion magic on their team."

"Honestly, just from our few encounters, I wouldn't be surprised if they throw someone new at us again," Robin said.

"Just how many people are part of this gang?" Cyborg questioned aloud. The others were silent as they contemplated what the metallic teen asked. They were all on edge; the fact that the location was deliberately chosen to be a place filled with painful memories was on everyone's mind. Before long, it was time to leave. Everyone somberly went to the T-Car, arriving at the entrance to the factory just at midnight.

Inside the facility, two silhouettes were standing near the back, where Slade's old control panel sat. "So," one said, in a calm tenor, "Do you think they will show?

"Of course they'll show." The other, clearly female figure responded. "They wouldn't let their city fall into madness without a fight would they?" The two perked up when they heard the front doors being opened. "And here they are. See Lock, you worry too much."

"Oh quiet Force. Turn on the lights, it's time we introduced ourselves."

The titans had entered the ruins of the base as quietly as possible. Cy had flipped on his shoulder light, as the team dared not allow anymore light to give away their position. Suddenly, the lights flipped on, revealing the entirety of the base to the titans. And standing in the back, among destroyed panels and fallen gears, were two people; a man and a woman. The man was wearing cargo shorts and a blank, gray t-shirt. He was wearing running shoes too. He had ear-length, dirty blonde hair and was toned, but not overly muscular. He had hard, gray eyes as well. The woman had long, black hair that ran down to the small of her back. She was wearing a blood red cocktail dress and black slip-on shoes. Her eyes were purple with a touch of red. She had an average bust-size but wasn't overly curvy.

"Look Lock," the woman said to the man, "It's the Teen Titans. Maybe we can get their autographs. That is if they're still alive at the end of this. Heh."

"Now, Force, we should treat our opponents with more respect. After all, they did defeat Draco and Payne."

"Just because they beat those incompetent fools doesn't make them worthy of facing my power."

"Can we start the fight?" Beast Boy said meekly, interrupting the two villains.

Everyone turned to look at him, before Lock gave a smile and said, "Sure, why not. Let's get this show on the road." He then raced forward, putting himself squarely in front of the green changeling. He then put his right palm forward and emitted a purple pulse of energy, which hit Beast Boy in the chest. The shapeshifter raised his guard quickly, but lowered it once he realized he hadn't been injured by the attack. Instead, a small, purple bull's-eye appeared on his chest, specifically right on his heart.

"EEK!" He yelped. "What did you do to me?"

"Let me show you." Lock then pulled out three small throwing knives and tossed them at Beast Boy. The hero quickly shifted into a hummingbird, dodging the attack, and then shifted back to human form.

"Hah, ya missed me!" The teen then stuck out his tongue at the villain.

Lock grinned and then his right eye changed, the white becoming black and the iris turning purple. He then clenched his right hand and the knives turned around and flew back at Beast Boy. "Target locked." The villain said, grim humor in his voice. Beast Boy gave a shriek before narrowly dodging the knives again, this time getting small cuts on his forearms.

"Oh Lock, you'll never beat them that way. The only way to defeat these bothersome heroes is with a display of overwhelming power." She then pointed her finger at Starfire, "Like so." Suddenly a beam of energy shot out of her finger, purple in the center with a red corona. The blast hit Starfire dead in her chest, knocking her off of her feet.

"STARFIRE!" Robin shouted immediately jumping to her aid. She quickly rose to her feet, her eyes glowing a brilliant green.

"Do not worry Robin. She merely caught me off guard. The laser didn't even burn me."

"That's because it wasn't a laser Starfire." Cyborg chimed in. "Trust me, I know lasers. That was more of a concussive blast. It has quite a bit of force behind it, but it doesn't burn or cut through anything."

"Good job, young one!" Force said, overhearing their conversation. "Not many figure that out so quickly. It's too bad I'm about to kill you." She then emitted a barrage of concussive blasts, forcing the three behind cover.

Meanwhile, Beast boy and Raven were dealing with Lock…well Raven more than Beast Boy. The green changeling was focused more on the knives that were still homing in on him. "Don't fight it," Lock shouted, "Anything I throw with my right hand will follow you to the ends of the earth. You might as well give up."

"I have a better idea," Raven said, as she then grabbed a piece of metal with her powers, putting it between Beast Boy and the knives, shielding the boy from the weapons. The knives embedded themselves in the metal, firmly stuck and no longer a threat.

"It's not over yet," Lock said before running over to Raven and hitting her with a pulse of energy from his left hand. His left eye then changed like his right and he threw several small, metal balls at Raven. She quickly threw up a shield of magic, smirking slightly. When the balls hit the shield though, the exploded in a blinding flash, breaking the shield and throwing Raven off her guard. Lock then tossed several more of the flash bangs with both hands. A cluster then sought out Raven while the rest homed in on Beast Boy. Beast Boy quickly changed into a gorilla, grabbed Raven, who was still stunned, and took cover behind a large gear.

"This is bad Rae," Beast Boy said, once the empath regained her senses. "He has both of us locked-on. What do we do?"

"Don't panic," Raven said coolly. "This joker could never beat us." Suddenly, their cover was ripped apart by a large explosion.

"You know, I don't like using grenades," Lock said, gently tossing the egg-shaped explosive up and down in his right hand, "But they work wonders at getting people out from behind cover." He then threw the bomb in Beast Boy's general direction. The explosive corrected it course, and now was heading straight for Beast Boy's heart. Raven quickly caught the grenade with her magic before throwing it straight up, thus having it explode at a safe distance from the two.

Meanwhile, the battle with Force wasn't going so well. The woman was able to snipe all of Robin's gadgets out of mid-air with her concussive blasts. She was also able to keep Starfire grounded by pelting her whenever she tried to take off. Cyborg was making some calibrations on his sonic cannon, and had yet to leave cover. "What are you doing?" Robin hissed at the metallic teen, jumping back behind cover, "We need your help out there!"

"Give me a minute, man. I think I've figured out a way to beat her, but I need some time. Can you and Star keep her preoccupied for a minute or two?"

Robin gave a smirk, "Who the hell do you think we are?" He then jumped out from behind covering throwing several exploding discs at his opponent. At the same time, Starfire threw several starbolts at the villainess, before following them up with her eye beams.

Force quickly shot down the discs with her concussive blasts, before dodging the volley of starbolts and eye beams. "Now, this is just reckless. You should realize by now you are no match for my power! Just die already." She then brought forth a bombardment of her purple and red beams, knocking Robin flat on his back, groaning in pain.

"Cyborg, any time now," Robin grumbled.

"Almost ready. I just need a little more time." Robin sighed and got back on his feet, albeit shakily. He turned his attention back to the fight. Starfire was currently engaged with Force, flying and looping around the villainess's attacks, but unable to land any solid hits of her own.

"I really hope we have some more." Robin said, pulling out his bo staff.

Back at the fight with Lock, Raven and Beast Boy had made little progress. They were able to avoid any severe damage from the relentless projectiles, but the marksman always had another trick up his sleeve or in one of his massive cargo pockets to keep them from getting close. "Dude, this guy has as many gadgets as Robin!" Beast Boy shouted. "And it's like he has an unlimited amount of them too!" The shapeshifter then pulled a caltrop off of his thigh. "I never thought you could use these as an offensive weapon."

"I think I know how to beat him." Raven said, nonchalantly. Beast Boy immediately shut up and looked at the pale girl. "But I need you to do exactly what a tell you to do. Okay?"

"Gotcha, Rae!" Beast Boy said, forming the okay symbol and giving his traditional grin.

"READY!" Cyborg shouted. He then jumped out from behind cover and took aim at Force.

"So, you finally decided to fight me." The woman responded, taking aim at Cyborg as well. Robin and Starfire were currently off to the side, waiting for the outcome, having been severally worn out by Force. "Well, this foolishness ends now. So just hurry up and drop dead!" With that she shot out a huge blast of energy.

"End this." Cy quipped, before firing off an equally large blast of sonic energy. The two beams meet in the middle, clashing spectacularly in a large ball of energy. It seemed that the two blasts were equal in power.

"Im…impossible! How can this teenager be a match for me?" Force said, amazed that Cyborg was holding back her ultimate attack.

"Lady, who said anything about me being a match for you?" Cyborg then pressed a small button on his arm, and the output on his sonic cannon increased tremendously. This then pushed the clashing energies back at Force.

"NO!" She shouted as the massive ball of energy reached her. "This isn't happening!" The energies then exploded, launching her back into the wall at quite some speed, knocking her unconscious.

"Booyah." Cyborg said, before falling to the ground, having used up all of his power in that attack.

"Beast Boy, now!" Raven shouted. The fight with Lock was still deadlocked. Lock had just thrown some daggers at Beast Boy, while keeping Raven pinned with explosives. The changeling quickly morphed into a falcon before speeding towards the villain's position. The knives quickly turned and followed the boy, homing in on him. However, the two teens had a plan this time. Beast Boy rushed towards Lock, before turning into an ant and hiding in his shirt. The knives, still locked-on to the emerald teen, stabbed Lock in the chest.

"Damn it," the villain said, shock and pain overriding his senses. "Should've seen that one coming."

Beast Boy then jumped out of the marksman's shirt, transforming back into human form. He then turned and gave Raven a thumbs up. "Looks like he got…the point!" Beast Boy said, laughing at his own joke. Raven merely sighed and placed her hand up to her face. The two then noticed that the bull's-eyes on their chests had vanished.

Lock coughed up some blood and then stumbled over to Force, who was still lying on the ground, and tossed a CD at Robin's feet. "You win this time titans, but know that you have yet to win the war for Jump City." He then hit a button on his watch, and the two were teleported out of the area.

The titans gave a collective sigh of relief, happy that the fight was over. Starfire had slung Cyborg over her shoulder, and Beast Boy was helping Raven, who had sprained her ankle after being knocked off of her feet by a grenade. Robin picked up the CD and said. "Let's get the hell out of here. I'm tired of this place." The team then piled into the T-Car, Robin behind the wheel, and went back to the tower.

Upon arrival, Starfire went and plugged Cyborg into his charger, he had given the other four the basic run-down of what to do should he ever run out of power, and went to the common room, where Robin was currently running a scan on the CD, making sure it had no viruses or other malicious software on it. After discovering that it was safe, the boy wonder put it into his computer and opened up the files. Inside were several case notes from Arkham Asylum and other sanity wards, each describing various patients and the symptoms of their neuroses.

"How on Earth did they get access to these?" Robin said. The others could only shrug, they certainly didn't know either. Once again, the titans were left with more questions than answers.

"Sorry master. We were unable to beat the titans." Lock said to his master, who was still covered in darkness. He wasn't wearing a shirt and had several large bandages on his chest. Force was still out cold, lying on her bed in her room.

"So, even some of my best fighters were unable to beat these teenagers." He then sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "It has become obvious to me. It is time that I took care of these heroes myself."

"Please my lord, there is no need to strain yourself. Surely you could send someone else out."

"Silence Lock! You do not tell me wait I need and need not do! I am Lord Avarice the Insatiable! Everything I see is rightfully mine, and now I desire the destruction of the Teen Titans!"

* * *

A/N: I really like this chapter. Don't know why, but it just works, in my opinion. It was really easy to write too, it just flowed out of me. Yup, so keep bringing your questions and reviews! Talk to you guys later!


	5. An Evening to Remember

A/N: Not much to say here this time. This was a pretty fluffy chapter in the planning stages, so I decided to spice it up a bit. Enjoy!

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An Evening to Remember

_You're awesome, so awesome/You're everything I want in a girl/You're crazy, amazing/I'm everything that's wrong with the world – Reel Big Fish "A-W-E-S-O-M-E"_

It had been two days since the battle with Lock and Force, and the titans were relaxing, enjoying their hard earned break. Everyone but Beast Boy it seemed. Instead of playing video games with Cyborg or reading comic books or just goofing around, he was pacing his room, currently in a heated argument with himself. The topic of debate…what should he do for his date with Raven. "Maybe we could go see a movie!" He said, throwing every idea he could think of out there. "But…there's nothing good out right now…" He countered. "Well, I could take her out to dinner. But…I don't even know what kind of food she likes. It's not like she's even into that romantic crap, like Starfire." Inspiration hit him like a brick to the face. "Or…is she?" He smiled, pulled out his cell phone, and started making plans for the evening.

"What in the hell is taking that moss head so long!" Cyborg shouted, "I've been waiting twenty minutes for his scrawny ass to get in here!"

"I'll play with you Cyborg." Robin said as he jumped over the couch and sat down. He was in civvies, a red, V-neck t-shirt, jeans, and sneakers.

"It's not the same. With Beast Boy, it's guaranteed victory, but when I play with you, I actually have to try."

"Hey, I resent that!" Beast Boy said as he walked into the common room. He was dressed in a purple, long-sleeved, button-up shirt, with khaki slacks and nice brown sneakers. He was still wearing his gloves though.

Robin gave a long whistle. "Damn Beast Boy, you going somewhere special tonight?"

"Uh…maybe. What's it to you?"

"Nothing grass stain, we just love to see you actually clean yourself up once and a while." Cyborg chimed in.

"Hey, come on. I clean myself up!"

"Leave him alone guys." Raven said as she walked into the room. " And if you have to know, we're going out tonight." All three boys turned to look at the empath. She was wearing an strapless, indigo dress that went down to her ankle, a slit running back up to her lower thigh. She had on low, black heels and had a simple, silver necklace on as well. She decided to forego make-up for the evening, preferring a natural look. The three boys stared at her, mouths agape. "What," Raven said, becoming defensive, "Is something wrong?"

Beast Boy stammered for a minute before finally managing to come up with a coherent sentence. "Jeez Rae, you look fantastic." Raven stared at him, giving her classic is-that-so look. "No seriously!" The changeling then whispered to Cy and Rob, "Back me up her guys."

The two boys looked at each other, before breaking into huge grins and chanting, in sing-song voices, "Beast Boy's got a girlfriend. Beast Boy's got a girlfriend."

"Dudes! Shut up!" The shapeshifter responded, breaking out into a deep blush. The two boys continued teasing him though. Giving up, he meandered over to Raven, grabbing her hand and pulling her out of the room. "Bye, guys!" He shouted, as he was out of the room, "We'll be back around midnight…maybe!"

"Y'all better not be taking my baby!" Cyborg shouted back, suddenly becoming serious at the thought of the shapeshifter behind the wheel of his car.

"We're taking your baby!" Beast Boy shouted back. The two teens then descended to the garage and hopped into the T-Car. They then hit the road, moving through Jump City at a decent rate.

"So, where are you taking me?" Raven asked.

"It's a surprise!" Beast Boy said back, mirth tingeing his voice.

"Beast Boy, I'm going to warn you right here and now. If what you're taking me to includes the words: 'video', 'game', or 'arcade', I will leave immediately."

"Come on, Rae. Do you really think I'd do something that stupid?" Raven just looked at him. "Okay, yeah, I guess it's not that much of a stretch. But trust me, I've got this whole thing planned out." He then gave her a big thumbs up and a wink.

"Keep your eyes on the road!" Raven shouted, pulling the wheel, and keeping them from swerving into oncoming traffic.

"Oh right, sorry. Heh." Beast Boy then turned his attention back to the road, while Raven just gave a sigh and placed her palm over her face.

Meanwhile, back at the tower, Robin and Cyborg were arguing, very intensely. "No way man! BB already took my car. There ain't no way you can get me to leave the tower in anything else!"

"I don't care Cyborg! I need you out of the tower tonight!"

"Listen man, I don't mind you and Star having the common room to yourselves tonight, but there is no way you need the entire tower!"

Robin took a deep breath and exhaled, regaining his composure. "Okay, listen. What if I let you buy some new parts for the T-Car on the titan's budget?"

"Any parts I want?" Cy responded, a devilish gleam in his eye.

"Yes," Robin mumbled, regretting his decision instantly, "Any part you want."

"Well then, you got yourself a deal, Mr. Casanova!" With that, Cyborg scurried off. He stuck his head back into the room to get one last parting shot. "Oh and Robin, try not to wreck the place up too bad. I just cleaned in here."

Robin just steamed as he heard Cyborg leave. However, he brightened once his girlfriend floated into the room. She was wearing a lavender tank-top and tight, hip-hugging jeans. "So boyfriend Robin, do we have the tower all to ourselves for the evening?" She then clasped her arms around the boy wonder's neck.

"Yup," Robin responded, his face reddening.

"Most excellent. I will now prepare the popped corn for enjoyment with our movie." She then pulled out _True Passion_, a fairly standard chick flick. Robin had been nice and let Starfire pick out the movie for their date that night, despite not really liking this genre of movie. Still, he decided to stomach the film, certain that he would be 'rewarded' later.

Meanwhile, Beast Boy and Raven had just pulled up to their destination. "Really Beast Boy? I don't even think I've heard of this place. Where on Earth have you taken me?" Raven wasn't lying. The place that Beast Boy had taken her to was fairly out of the way. She was honestly surprised that he even knew of its existence. The place was simply called _Swingin'_, although the empath couldn't tell why. It seemed to be no different than any other semi-decent restaurant.

"Trust me Rae, this is gonna be great!" He then grabbed the pale girl's hand and led her inside. The interior of the club, as it should be accurately called, was completely unexpected. It was dark, with low-hanging, smoked glass lights over every table. The tables all had dark red tablecloths on them. Near the back was a band, playing some big band music. Some people were on the dance floor in front of the band, moving with the melody. Although the rest of the area was dim and romantic, the dance floor was fairly well-lit.

"Ah, Master Beast Boy, I presume," the host said as he walked over to the couple. "We have just finished getting your table ready. Right this way." He then grabbed two menus and led the two teens over to a small booth, near the side of the building. There was a small vase filled with purple roses on the table. "You're server will be right with you."

"Garfield," Raven said, slight astonishment in her voice, "How did you find out about this place?"

"Oh, if you wander the streets enough, you find everything a city has to offer."

"Well, I have to say. I'm impressed." Raven then picked up her menu and began searching for something to eat.

In the meantime, Cyborg was wandering about Jump, with no real goal in mind. However, his feet eventually got him in front of an auto parts shop. "Oh feet," Cyborg said, 'You know how to make me happy. Now then, what should I look for? Maybe some new fuel injectors, or perhaps a tank of nitro, or−" The metallic teen was brought out of his train of thought by a young man tapping him on the shoulder.

"Excuse me, but you wouldn't happen to be Cyborg, now would ya mate?" Cyborg turned around to look at the man. He was wearing jeans and skate shoes. He also had on a plain, white t-shirt. He had scruffy brown hair that ran down to his shoulders. His eyes were an electric blue, and he was fairly tanned. He looked to be no older than Cyborg, in all honesty. He was roughly five foot ten and was pretty skinny. Overall, there was a typical runner's build to him.

"Well, let me ask you something, buddy. How many guys do you see walking around the city that are half metal?" The young man stared blankly at Cy for a second, as if analyzing him. Suddenly, there was an audible zip, and the man was behind Cyborg. "Whoa, what?" Was all the teen could manage to say.

"Yeah, I guess you are mostly metal." The man said. There was another zip, and he was back in front of the metallic teen.

"You wouldn't happen to be related to the Allens's would you?" Cy asked.

"The Allens's? Hmm…can't say I've heard of them. Then again I know a lot of people, but not a lot of names, mate." The two then stared at each other, not saying a word.

"Did you…did you need something?" Cyborg said, starting to sweat a bit.

"Oh? Oh right, right. I was supposed to give this to the first Teen Titan that I saw. Boss's orders!" He then pulled out a small tape recorder.

"No way." Cyborg said, baffled. "You're part of−"

"Sanity's Edge? Yup! They're great fun, except for that Decay, he's kind of a bummer. But yeah, if you could take this, I'll be on my merry way friend."

"I'm afraid I can't let you go, kid." Cyborg said, his arm morphing into its sonic cannon form.

"Is that so?" The man responded, a playful smirk on his face.

Back at the restaurant, Raven and Beast Boy were both eating their meals. Raven had ordered a dish of grilled Italian sausage and peppers, while Beast Boy had gotten fettuccine alfredo. "This is really good Gar. Why have you never taken anyone here before?"

"Well, I guess I was waiting for the right time and the right person." Raven gave a slight blush at the compliment, but otherwise didn't respond. Soon, the two finished their meals, and were sitting around, enjoying the atmosphere and the band. Beast Boy suddenly got a devious smirk on his face. "Hey Rae, let's dance."

"You? Dance? No offense, but you're not the most graceful of people."

"Come on, it'll be fun. Will you do it for me?" He looked at Raven, wiggling his eyebrows. Raven relented and allowed herself to be taken to the dance floor. The two then proceeded to swing with the beat of the band, both doing a fairly good job. Hey continued to dance for a while, Beast Boy changing styles frequently, in order to match the tempo the band set.

"You really can dance." Raven said, a smile playing on her lips.

"Yeah, my dad taught me a long time ago."

"Really? I never took Mento to be a dancer."

"No, Rae. My real dad."

"Oh…I never realized that−"

"It's okay. You didn't know. Can't blame you for that." The song then finished and the two stopped. "Oh hang on for a second, I wanna see if they take requests." With that Beast boy ran over to the band, and proceeded to chat them up. He then returned to Raven, grinning from ear to ear. "Okay, get ready."

Raven braced herself, waiting for whatever high-speed, ridiculous song the changeling had asked the band to play, but was surprised when a slow song began to play. A soloist walked out and he began to sing in a lush voice:

_Some day, when I'm awfully low,_

_When the world is cold,_

_I will feel a glow just thinking of you_

_And the way you look tonight._

Beast Boy then slowly began to waltz with Raven, keeping perfectly in time with the song. Raven matched him, resting her head on Beast Boy's shoulder. 'When did he get taller than me?' she thought.

_Yes you're lovely, with your smile so warm_

_And your cheeks so soft,_

_There is nothing for me but to love you,_

_And the way you look tonight._

_With each word your tenderness grows,_

_Tearing my fear apart..._

_And that laugh that wrinkles your nose,_

_It touches my foolish heart._

_Lovely ... Never, ever change._

_Keep that breathless charm._

_Won't you please arrange it ?_

_'Cause I love you ... Just the way you look tonight._

_Mm, Mm, Mm, Mm,_

_Just the way you look to-night._

Soon the song was done, and the couple came to a stop. Beast Boy then paid the bill and led Raven back to the T-Car. However, before he opened the door for the empath, she grabbed his arm and turned him around. "Okay," she said, in her monotone, trying her best to keep her emotions in check. "That was the greatest date of my life."

"It's no problem Rae. I'm just glad that you had a good ti−" He was cut off as Raven pulled him in for a kiss. Beast Boy was shocked at first, but slowly let go of his inhibitions, simply enjoying the moment. The two broke off the kiss after a minute, having to catch their breath.

"Thanks," she whispered into his ear, before entering the car and sitting down. Beast Boy gave a shudder and then walked over to the driver's seat.

Things were progressing just as smoothly back at the tower. Star and Robin had abandoned their movie long ago, in favor of something more…sensual. "Star," Robin said breathlessly, pulling away from the Tamaranian. "We should probably stop, Beast Boy and Raven could be home any time now. Not to mention Cyborg."

"Oh Robin," Starfire said, "You do too much of the worrying. Relax." She hen pulled him back in, resuming their make-out session.

However, things were not progressing as smoothly for Cyborg back in the city. The poor man just couldn't land a hit on his foe. They had moved their battle into an alley, in order to reduce collateral damage, which was good, as Cyborg was hitting everything but his opponent. The speed demon would just zip out of the way at the last second, getting close to Cy, kicking him a couple times, and then zipping back out of the metallic teen's reach. "You're pretty strong mate." The mysterious enemy said. "I can see how ya managed to overwhelm Force. But it's no matter. If ya can't hit me, than ya can't win. Heh."

"That's it you scrawny, little pipsqueak. You are going down!" Cyborg than transformed his other arm and started blasting at the foe rapid-fire. However, the man simply bounced between the shots, moving incredibly fast. After seeing this display, something finally dawned on Cyborg. "You don't have super-speed, do you?" He asked, incredulously.

"What? No. It's really more of a…slingshot kind of thing. I just sorta launch myself back and forth mate."

"Okay, I was trying to avoid this, but I need help. Sorry to ruin your dates guys, but it's time for some back-up." With that, he opened up a panel on his arm and began issuing a distress signal. "This is Cyborg calling Robin. This is an emergency, I need help now!" However, the screen, instead of showing Robin's face, was only showing static.

"Sorry mate," the villain said. He was perched on Cy's shoulder looking at the screen as well, having zipped there while the metallic teen was calling Robin. "You see, when I bounce around a lot, I build up quite a bit of static electricity. It tends to interfere with electronics. That's why they didn't give me one of their fancy watches." He then zipped back down onto the ground. "I mean, there is a reason they call me Shock."

The two continued to fight for a bit, but the match was clearly in Shock's favor. Cyborg was beginning to slow down, using a huge amount of power to try and hit the villain. "Wait a minute…" Shock said, stopping mid-bounce, deep in thought. "You're mostly electronics aren't ya?"

Cyborg stared for a second before the implications hit him. His human eye widened and he started backing away from the villain. "You know what. I think I'll let you go this time. I'll just deliver this message and be on my way."

"No way, friend. You may have started this fight, but now I'm gonna end it." He then proceeded to slingshot back and forth, building up a noticeable amount of electricity. He then shot in front of Cyborg, inches from his face. "Now then, what's the word I'm looking for? Oh yeah, zap." He then poked Cyborg, releasing all of the pent up energy within him.

Cyborg convulsed for a second before saying in a robotic monotone, "Critical system overload. Mandatory hardware shutdown imminent." He then powered down and fell forward, collapsing in the back alley. Shock grinned, before slingshotting upwards, and bouncing away, through the night air.

Raven and Beast Boy pulled into the tower at roughly midnight. Both were still in a pleasant mood from dinner, but they were both tired from the day's events as well. They walked into the common room very quietly, to see if anyone was awake. Alas, Robin and Starfire had passed out on the couch earlier, the TV still on. Beast Boy stifled a laugh, seeing the two curled up together on the couch, before turning to Raven and whispering, "I guess Cy already went to his room."

"Yeah," Raven responded, before giving a soft yawn.

"I can agree with that. I'm pretty tired too. Good night Rae, see you tomorrow."

"Good night," she said back. The changeling then gave her a quick kiss on the cheek, before heading off to his room. Raven smiled slightly, before she too retired to her room.

* * *

A/N: Okay, I promise I'll cut back on the BBxRae stuff now. I just had to get the first date out of the way, in order to establish the relationship. Oh, and that dance scene…I had planned that since the beginning of the story. The song that was used was "The Way You Look Tonight" by Frank Sinatra, just in case anyone was wondering. See you next time, faithful readers!


	6. Grave Matters

A/N: Yeah, it's time for the battle between the titans and Lord Avarice. Do the titans have what it takes to beat this new foe? Or will they succumb to the madness of Sanity's Edge? Read and find out!

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Grave Matters

_Money, it's a hit/Don't give me that do goody good bullshit/I'm in the high-fidelity first class traveling set/And I think I need a Lear jet – Pink Floyd "Money"_

"Has anyone seen Cyborg today?" Robin asked, entering the common room the following morning. After waking up on the couch at his usual time , Robin woke Starfire, and then went straight to his room to shower and get dressed. He then walked back to the common room, and to his surprise, Beast Boy, Raven and Starfire were all awake and eating breakfast.

"Um…no, actually." Raven said, a little bit of worry in her voice.

"Tell me Robin, do you think Cyborg is in danger?" Starfire asked.

"Well, no. I just think it's weird that he didn't call or anything." Suddenly, the door to the common room opened up, and there stood Cyborg, tired, dirty and in agonizing pain. "Holy shit." Robin muttered. "Cy, what happened to you?"

"Sanity's Edge," was all Cyborg said before he fell to the ground, completely out of power. The team immediately got him to his room and placed him on his charger. After a couple hours, Cyborg was fully recharged, and reentered the common room, looking much better than he did before. He promptly grabbed something to eat and sat down at the table, slowly but surely making his way through his food.

"Okay, so tell us what happened before I tear my hair out dude!" Beast Boy said, no longer able to stomach his excitement.

Cyborg swallowed and looked at the changeling. "Alright, fair enough." The rest of the team sat up and started paying attention. "So last night I ran into another member of Sanity's Edge."

"Another one?" Robin interrupted, "That puts them at at least six members, plus whoever is leading them."

"Yeah," Cyborg said, pulling attention back to himself, "As I was saying, this guy could slingshot himself around at high speed."

"So, he had super speed?" Beast Boy asked.

"Not really. It seemed far more out of control than standard super speed. It also let him build up a lot of static electricity, which interfered with my communicator. He then discharged, which overloaded my system and forced me to shut down. I rebooted sometime this morning and came to the tower as fast as I could."

"So, why did he attack you?" Raven asked. Everyone, sans Cyborg, looked at her as if she was crazy.

"What do you mean friend Raven. Is it not the usual for villains to attack heroes?"

"Well yes, but this gang has continuously proven that they're smarter than the average thug. Every battle they've had with us they either told us of beforehand or it was to tell us something. Since they didn't warn us prior, I assume it was to give us a new tape recording."

"Yup," Cyborg agreed, "And here it is." He then reached into a compartment on his hip and pulled out the device. Robin grabbed it and pressed play in one swift motion.

The device crackled for a second before the same modulated voice began. "Hello titans. It seems that you have been able to beat some of my best fighters, and as such, I find I can stay my hand no longer. It is time for a battle between the five of you and me. You will receive the time and coordinates as usual, and titans…I am a busy man, so do not be late." With that, the recorder fell to pieces.

It wasn't long before Robin's communicator buzzed, and the teen went to work, figuring out where the fight would be. He returned in a couple minutes, with the data. "This evening, at 10:00. The fight's at an abandoned warehouse in the dock district." The team then left, sans Robin and Starfire, who both hung back. He then sat down and ran his fingers through his hair.

"What is wrong Robin?" Starfire asked, concerned over her boyfriend's attitude.

"I don't know Star. It's just…it's overwhelming. At least with Slade he was alone, he was just one man. But with Sanity's Edge, we don't get that luxury. We have a group of madmen out there, and we have no idea what they're up to! They've made no demands, no threats. We try to stop them, and it just furthers their goals. I'm running out of ideas, and I just don't know what I should do."

"Oh Robin," Starfire cooed, sitting down next to the boy, placing her hand on his thigh. "You are always so concerned about our well-being. But you never take the time for yourself. You must do the relaxing sometimes, or you will do the burning out." She then kissed him on the forehead, before getting up and leaving.

"Yeah, Star, no problem." Robin said, a small smile on his face. He then got up and headed to his room to unwind.

Meanwhile Beast Boy and Raven were in the sorceress's room, idly making small talk. "So," Beast Boy began, "When do I get to see that dress of yours again?"

"You'll just have to be patient," Raven said.

"Darn it." Beast Boy said, mock irritation in his voice. "Well, can we at least make out?"

"Garfield Logan, ladies and gentlemen." Raven said sarcastically, "Master of Romance."

"Clearly my charm is working." The changeling responded, wiggling his eyebrows. Raven just sighed and gave him a quick peck on the lips. Beast Boy sighed and then comically fell on his face.

Time passed, and soon the titans headed for the warehouse in the T-Car. The tension in the car was thick, as everyone was either nervous, agitated, or some odd mixture of both. The titans arrived at the old warehouse with minutes to spare, deciding to be early this time, and maybe catch the villain by surprise.

The heroes burst into the building, ready for a fight. Instead, they saw a solitary man standing in the center of the primarily empty room. He was average height and somewhat muscular, in terms of body build. He had black hair with white tips that reached down to his ears. His eyes were a dark brown, and he was unnaturally pale. He was wearing a three-piece suit, and in all honesty, didn't look like he was going to fight at all.

"Am I to assume you're the leader of Sanity's Edge." Robin said bluntly, staff raised in a defensive stance.

The man turned his attention towards the titans, and briefly looked them over. "So…you are the Teen Titans? You are the ones who have beaten some of my best fighters? How very…disappointing." He said in voice that seemed far too deep for his build. "I assumed you would be more impressive."

Robin glared at the man. "Are you or are you not the leader of Sanity's Edge?"

"No need to be snippy, Robin. Yes, I am Lord Avarice, the leader of Sanity's Edge."

"What do you want?"

"What do I want?" Avarice repeated, almost incredulously. "My dear boy, I want everything. All that I see is rightfully mine. I'm merely…reclaiming my possessions."

"Not if we can help it, Avarice." Robin replied. He then tossed several exploding discs at the villain. Avarice shot out his hand, and the discs slammed into the ground. Robin growled, but held off on another attack, unsure of what powers their new foe had.

"Do not interrupt me, Robin. I find that irritating. Now then, where was I? Ah yes, however, in order to reclaim what is truly mine, I must remove the laws and restrictions that hold me back. So, I will spread the blessings of madness to Jump City, in order to inspire anarchy. This tumor of chaos and insanity will spread, until all of the world falls prey to its intoxicating allure. Then nothing will stop me from taking what is rightfully mine! That is what I want, you insipid bastard."

The titans stared, shocked by the man's plan. "Dude, that's messed up." Beast Boy said, breaking the silence.

"Well, there is only one way to stop me. Unfortunately, I don't believe you have the necessary abilities to even attempt to defeat me."

"We'll see about that." Robin growled, and he then threw several more discs at the villain. Avarice faked a yawn and threw his hand out again. The projectiles suddenly began to slow, before they starting moving back at the titans. The heroes quickly jumped out of the way, avoiding the explosion.

"Um, Robin, I think your discs might be broken." Beast Boy said, trying to alleviate the situation.

"Poor titans," Avarice said, "You have no idea what sort of powers I possess."

"I have grown weary of your taunts." Starfire said, her eyes beginning to glow. She then charged their foe, letting out a battle cry. Avarice raised his eyebrow, before placing his arms in Star's direction and then slamming them down. Starfire gave a startled yelp as she suddenly hit the ground. She then tried to get up, giving off groans of exertion. She slowly stood, but was clearly putting forth more effort than usual.

"What's going on?" Beast Boy asked, baffled by what he saw.

"I am unsure. It as though my body has grown much heavier. I do not understand why though." Everyone then turned their attention to Avarice, who was quietly chuckling; his hands glowing a dark violet.

"What are you doing to her?" Robin asked, anger in his voice.

"You clearly aren't grasping the gravity of this situation, Robin." Avarice responded, clearly enjoying the boy wonder's frustration.

"Gravity?" Raven said aloud, pondering the villain's word choice. "That's it! Don't you see Robin? He can manipulate the gravitational pull on anything, including people."

"Well, aren't you clever one." Avarice said, annoyed that he had been figured out so quickly. "Ah well, you were the one who figured out Lock's powers as well, correct? It's no matter though. Just because you know what I'm doing doesn't mean you can stop it." He then put his hands out and Robin suddenly found himself weightless, and began floating up to the ceiling. Avarice then closed his hands and Robin slammed into the ground, hitting the floor hard enough to crack the pavement.

"No!" Starfire screamed before firing off several starbolts at the villain. Avarice quickly jumped up, leaping far higher than he should have, easily avoiding the attack. The Tamaranian, free of her foe's influence, then flew over to Robin, helping him to his feet.

"Take this, you asshole!" Cyborg shouted, as he fired his sonic cannon.

"Foolish boy. Even sound must follow the laws of gravity." He then raised his arm and clenched his fist, and the beam of sonic energy bent down and hit the ground.

"No way," Cyborg muttered, shocked at the extent of the villain's abilities.

"You might think you're all-powerful," Raven said, "But your gravity powers can't even come close to touching my magic. AZARATH METRION ZINTHOS!" A black claw then shot out at Avarice, aiming for the villain's torso.

"This is true, but let's see how you well you react to this." He then put his hand in front of Cyborg and then moved it over to Raven. "Gravitational pull increased!" He shouted, as he tightened his fist. Suddenly, Cy was sent flying towards Raven, who had to break off her attack in order to throw up a shield.

"You can even alter the gravitational forces between two people?" Raven asked.

"What are you talking about Rae?" Beast Boy asked.

"You dull boy, all objects exert a slight gravitational pull on each other. And yes, I can, in fact, alter this pull." Avarice answered, contempt in his voice. Beast Boy quickly morphed into a bull and charged the villain, snorting and frothing. "Pointless," Avarice sighed. He then put his hand in front of the emerald teen and brought it down to the floor. Beast Boy jerked to a stop, straining to even lift his legs. He then changed back into human form, trying his hardest to move forward.

"Beast Boy, stop it!" Raven yelled. "You'll crush yourself under your own weight!" The shapeshifter quickly switched back to human form, sweating from all the extra energy he had to use to simply stand.

In all honesty, the fight had quickly gone sour for the titans. They couldn't touch Lord Avarice, and he was toying with them, clearly having fun as he switched between increasing the gravity on the teens, making them lighter suddenly, thus throwing off their balance and attacks, or merely making them stick to each other in a clump.

"As much fun as it is to toy with you, I'm afraid I must finish this. Now take this, my ultimate technique. Let's see how much you enjoy being crushed by a gravitational force that is one hundred times stronger than that of Earth." Avarice's hands began to glow a horrid black light before he flung them out in the direction of the titans. The titans then each fell to the ground, being overwhelmed by the sudden increase in gravity.

"No…" Robin said, trying his hardest to move. "It can't end like this."

"I'm afraid it has. And now this city is mine!" Avarice then threw his head back and began to laugh.

"I'd like to offer a second opinion." A cheery voice said. Everyone turned their attention to where the voice came from, but there was no one there. Suddenly, a yellow and red blur shot out and slammed into Avarice, knocking him off of his feet, and breaking his concentration. The titans then collapsed in exhaustion, no longer under the effects of the villain's powers.

"What the?" Avarice croaked, getting back up. He then looked around, trying to identify his attacker.

"Having a bit of bad luck?" A feminine voice asked sarcastically. A pink wave of magic then hit a steel girder above the villain, and it began to fall on top of Avarice. He quickly lowered his gravitational pull and jumped out of the way, narrowly avoiding the plummeting beam.

"Show yourselves!" Avarice shouted, briefly losing his composure. He realized his distress and quickly regained his poise. He then scanned the warehouse, looking for his new opponents. He was then tapped on the shoulder. He turned around and saw two teens. One was wearing an odd yellow and red body suit and had red hair. The other was in a dark blue, gypsy-like outfit and had pink hair. "Oh, you must be Kid Flash and Jinx. I had heard that you were wandering the countryside near Jump City. I never thought that you would actually fight with the titans though."

"Yeah well, we were in the neighborhood and thought that they might need some help. Well, we weren't in the neighborhood per se, but we were only a couple miles outside the city, and that's, like, a warm-up jog for me." Kid Flash responded, speaking in his usual mile-a-minute way.

"Well, it's no matter. Even you must follow the laws of gravity." He then shot out his hand, but Kid Flash and Jinx were already gone.

"Over here!" Kid Flash shouted from across the room. Avarice turned his attention to the speedster and moved his hands again. However, the duo simply moved out of the way before the villain's powers could take effect. Kid Flash then left Jinx in a spot that was out of reach, before turning to his girlfriend and quipping, "Back in a flash!" He then sped off towards Avarice.

"You are quickly growing irritating, whelp." Avarice said aloud, unsure of where Kid Flash actually was.

"Well, I am all about being quick." The hero said as he slammed into Avarice at full speed. He then turned and hit the villain again. He kept at it for several passes, until the villain was completely disoriented.

"Enough!" The villain shouted; a strange aura of insanity and a bubble of black energy appeared around him. Kid Flash tried to run through it, but found himself slowed down, weighed down by the now intense gravity.

"Oh man, so this is what being slow is like." Kid Flash mumbled, still trying to reach Avarice. Pink surges of magic suddenly hit the villain, washing him in a bad luck hex.

"I swear, sometimes you'd be doomed without me." Jinx said, having walked into the fray. The villain turned, a manic look in his eye, and started walking towards her, moving the bubble of high gravity with him. However, he tripped over his own feet and landed on his head, bringing him back to his senses and ending his madness-influenced attack.

"This has quickly taken a turn for the worse." Avarice groaned, rubbing his head gently. "I believe it is time to make a hasty retreat." He then turned towards the titans, who had gotten back on their feet. "Until next time." He then pressed a button on his watch, and was teleported away.

Kid Flash and Jinx helped the titans get back to the T-Car, glad that their friends were okay. "Thanks for the help Kid Flash. You to Jinx." Robin said, shaking both of their hands.

"Yeah man, it's no problem." The speedster replied, grinning from ear to ear. "Now if you'll excuse us, we really should be going. Things to do, places to see."

"Wait," Robin said, grabbing the boy on his shoulder. "I hate to say it, but I'm issuing Jump City to be in a state of emergency." Kid Flash and Jinx just raised their eyebrows at this. Robin huffed and continued, "That means that all nearby titans that are unaffiliated with a team must stay here and help with the crisis. Sorry guys, but it looks like you'll be staying with us until Sanity's Edge is finally defeated."

"Really?" Jinx said, "We'll have to stay in your tower until you say we can leave?"

"I hate doing this, but we need all the help we can get." Robin said.

Kid Flash and Jinx looked at each other before grinning and turning to the boy wonder. "Fine by us," the speedster said. "I think we were getting tired of camping anyway."

"Yeah, it'll be nice to have a roof over our heads again. Hot meals, warm beds. Yeah, this'll be a nice change of pace." Jinx added. The titans then all piled into the car, and headed back to the tower.

"To think I was bested by them." Avarice said, now back at his hideout. "I never thought I'd have to actually go on with plan b, but it is always good to have contingencies." He then pulled a small vile of green liquid out of a safe. "Ah, to think such power could be stored in such a small amount of serum is amazing. I must begin producing more of this at once. It is time to show these titans that Sanity's Edge is far stronger then they think." He then walked off, a mad grin plastered to his face.

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A/N: And end part 1…sort of. I guess this could be the end of the first part of the story. I don't know, I'm probably just pulling stuff out of my ass right now. Anyway, thanks for reading, and keep up with the reviews. Remember, only you can point out errors that I miss.


	7. Insanity's Strength

A/N: Sorry it took so long to get out and sorry it's so short. But I figure something's better than nothing, and this is sort of a transition chapter. I'll try to get the next chapter out faster but I promise nothing.

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Insanity's Strength

_Well I've been standing here for oh so long/I got so tired of these same old songs of change/Who's changing? – Mad Caddies "The Dirge"_

It had been two weeks since the fight with Lord Avarice. The titans were starting to fall back into the calm allure of relaxation. Even Kid Flash, who had been somewhat restless, as he was pent up in one city, had begun to unwind. However it was summer, and the first big heat wave of the season was starting to have an effect on the titans. "Dude! It is so hot!" Beast Boy groaned. He was currently sitting in the common room, panting and sweating. "Seriously, Cy, when are you gonna have the air conditioner fixed?"

"I told you grass stain. I'll fix it when there's time. But right now, Robin wants me to do some serious upgrades to the tower's defense grid."

"But that could take years!" Beast Boy moaned, comically throwing his hands into the air. Cyborg just sighed and carried on, determined not to let the green changeling get under his skin. "Rae, tell Cyborg that we're dying over here!" The shapeshifter motioned wildly at his girlfriend, trying to get her to play along.

Raven sighed and put down her book. She then turned and looked at the metallic teen. "You do realize," she droned, "That he will keep this up every minute of every hour of every day until you actually fix the A/C unit, right?" Cyborg just started to sweat, the realization of what Raven said hitting him like a punch to the face.

"You know what," Cyborg said, with forced enthusiasm, "I think I might have time to fix the air conditioner later this afternoon." He then quickly shuffled out of the room, making sure to get out before Beast Boy would prod him with more questions. The shapeshifter turned towards the empath and flashed her his trademark grin, giving her a thumbs up as well. Raven just sighed and went back to her book.

Kid Flash and Jinx then wandered into the room, talking to each other. They then took notice of the couple sitting on the couch and each got a devious smirk. Then then moved over to the couch, each grinning at Raven. "Can I help you?" Raven said trying her hardest to not show her irritation.

"So Raven," Jinx started, "We here you got yourself a boyfriend now."

"Is that so?" Raven replied, sarcasm dripping from her words.

"Yeah," Kid Flash continued, "And Jinx thought that it might be a good idea for us to go on a double date. What do you say Ra–"

"No." Raven bluntly said, not even allowing the speedster to finish.

"Come on!" Kid Flash pleaded, his voice starting to pick up speed, "It'll be fun. We could go out to eat or –"

"Stop it dude, you're making my brain melt!" Beast Boy cried, desperately trying to get the teen's attention.

"Fine," Jinx huffed, "I told you that they wouldn't be up for it. Maybe Robin and Starfire would be more inclined." She then grabbed Kid Flash's arm and dragged him out of the room. He waved at the two teens as he was forcibly removed from the room, grinning sheepishly.

"Should we tell them that Star and Rob went on patrol an hour ago?" Beast Boy said with a grin.

"No, I think we'll let them figure that one out on their own." Raven responded, a small smirk hidden behind her book.

The two teens were suddenly brought out of their thoughts by an alarm going off and the display turning on. Robin was on the screen, and from the noise the two could here in the background, he was in the middle of a fierce battle. Immediately, Kid Flash zoomed in, bringing Cyborg and Jinx. "Hey! What seems to be the trouble?" The speedster said.

"This is Robin calling tower! Robin calling tower! Starfire and I are currently engaged with an unknown hostile. We believe he is a member of Sanity's Edge. We need immediate back-up at the intersection of main and first. Repeat we nee–" Robin was cut off by an explosion, and the transmission was lost.

"Well, shit." Cyborg said, breaking the silence. "Alright, let's move." With that, the five teenagers raced out of the tower, heading for the fight.

Meanwhile, Robin and Starfire were fighting for their lives against their opponent. He had a hulking figure, easily over seven feet tall and at least three hundred pounds of solid muscle. He had black hair, that was tinged with green, that ran down to his back. His teeth were pointed, like fangs, and he had green eyes, with the pupils like those of a snake. He was tanned and was only wearing black denim pants, leaving his scarred torso on display. He was currently engaged in hand-to-hand combat with Starfire. Although the Tamaranian was using her full power, their foe was able to match her strength.

Despite the obvious exertion Star was putting into the fight, her opponent had a look of boredom on his face, as if he wasn't interested in the fight at all. Not only that, but he simply didn't even care about Robin's projectile attacks, simply shrugging off anything thrown at him. Starfire dodged a blow from the brute, and quickly retaliated with a strong punch to the face, but the villain seemed unfazed. "It seems," he began slowly, "That neither of you are capable of causing any real damage. How…tedious." He then stifled a yawn and easily back-handed Robin, who had tried to attack him from behind. The boy wonder flew across the street, slamming into a car.

"Robin!" Starfire gasped, before turning back to her opponent, her eyes burning green. "You will regret that." She then raced towards the man. The villain quickly grabbed both of Star's hands, his hands completely surrounding the girl's. She scowled, before her hands started to glow. The man didn't release his grip though, and soon, Star ripped right through his hands. She gasped, her eyes returning to normal, but the man didn't seem to care about his injuries. In fact, he turned to Starfire, smirking slightly, before trying to continue his assault.

Luckily, a pink wave of magic hit the manhole in front of him, and it was shot up by a sudden burst of steam, slamming into the villain's jaw, stunning him for a second. A blue stream of energy then hit the man's chest, pushing him back a bit. The five other titans then congregated around Starfire and Robin, who was back on his feet. "So, more of you have come. Oh well, it makes no difference." The villain droned, sizing up his adversaries.

"Dude, I don't know if you realize this, but your hands are kind of messed up." Beast Boy said, motioning towards the villain's mangled hands. The villain looked at them, as if noticing the damage for the first time, before wordlessly shrugging and slowly moving towards the heroes. The heroes prepared to attack before noticing that the villain's hands had begun to steam slightly. Suddenly, the bone, muscle and other tissue began to reform, and it wasn't long before his hands were completely healed. He then moved with surprising speed at the titans, who all managed to dodge just before the villain punched through the street.

Cyborg and Robin quickly responded with their sonic boom combo, which smashed into the villain's face, ripping off a good chunk of skin. Starfire and Raven then hit him with a combo of starbolts and black magic, sending their opponent reeling. Beast Boy, in gorilla form, and Kid Flash then landed a barrage of blows, while Jinx supported the group with bad luck hexes, helping restrain the villain's movement.

Once the titans finished and the dust settled, they looked to see how their opponent was fairing. "Man, seven-on-one just isn't fair." Cyborg quipped, grinning confidently. However, once they saw their opponent, they quickly grew despondent. He was unscathed, his body having healed all the damage that he had taken. He then began attacking the titans, relentlessly going after them with a flurry of punches and kicks. He nailed Starfire in the stomach, knocking the wind out of her, before throwing Beast Boy, still in gorilla form, into a dumpster. He then grabbed Cyborg and slammed him into the ground. The remaining titans tried to fight back, but it was obvious they were not winning.

"Flash," Cyborg groaned, trying to get up, "Please tell me you're faster than his healing ability."

"No," the speedster responded, dejectedly. "It's just too potent. I'm throwing as many punches and kicks as fast as I can, but he just keeps healing. I can't beat it."

"This is pointless," Beast Boy said, moving back over to the team. "We hit him as hard as we can and he just heals. But he hits us once and it's game over."

"So dull." The villain mumbled, punching through a shield of black magic, advancing on Raven and Jinx. "To think that such heroics once interested me." He raised his large fist, getting ready to crush the sorceresses beneath him when a several projectiles hit him in the head and torso before exploding violently, causing the brute to stumble back in pain.

"You know," a synthesized voice said, "You really bug the hell out of me Strength." A black blur then shot out of the shadows, and Strength was sliced diagonally across the torso. The figure jumped back up, slicing the villain again, leaving a large 'X'-shaped pattern on his chest. The silhouette then jumped back, but not before leaving several more bombs at the brute's feet, causing a massive explosion which launched the villain into a building. "And that, kiddies, is how you beat a villain." Red X said, giving a mock bow in the heroes' direction.

The villain groaned wearily, before slowly emerging from the rubble. Most of his skin had been blown off and any that remained was severely charred. Not only that, but he had two deep lacerations running across his chest, not to mention all the damage he took from slamming into a building. The fact that he had gotten up was a testament to his will.

"Holy shit," Cyborg said, amazed that the villain was even alive, let alone standing.

"Level of damage…catastrophic." Strength said in a robotic monotone. "Strategic retreat recommended." And with that, the man was teleported away. With their main adversary gone, the titans then turned their focus on Red X.

"Hey," the thief said defensively, "Why's everyone looking at me? I just saved you all. You could cut a guy some slack."

"Why?" Robin said plainly, narrowing his eyes.

"Well, twinkle toes, it's simple. It's only fun to break the laws when they exist. If Sanity's Edge gets their way, their won't be any more laws to break, so it won't be fun to steal anything anymore."

"How'd you know we were here, and that we were in trouble?"

"Easy. I put a tracker in your communicator when you were on your date with the princess. Let's me listen in on your conversations and follow your movements." Robin stared, angry and befuddled, before popping open his communicator. Sure enough there was a small black tracker in it. The boy wonder pulled it out, crushing it.

"Uh, not to be rude, but who are you?" Jinx said. Kid Flash nodded in agreement, also unsure of who Red X was.

"Who am I?" Red X said, mock hurt in his synthetic voice. "Well, if I'm going to be hone–"

"He's a thief." Robin said bluntly, cutting X off.

"Now, now, Robin. Don't forget you had a hand in making me." The rogue taunted. Kid Flash and Jinx looked expectantly at Robin.

The boy wonder furrowed his brow and mumbled, "I'll explain later. For now, let's go."

"Actually, twinkle toes, I might have some information that you could find…useful."

Robin stopped dead in his tracks, before turning around to face the thief. "What's your angle?" He said, getting very frustrated at X's behavior.

"No angle, not this time. Too much is at stake. Even I realize this. However, I would like to request I get to stay at your tower until Sanity's Edge is gone."

"Alright," Robin said tentatively. "Just promise me you won't break the law while you're at our base."

"Scout's honor."

"I have a hard time believing that you were a scout, dude." Beast Boy chimed in.

Back at the tower, the teens were sitting around the kitchen table, now with eight chairs instead of five. X was leaning back, his feet on the table, seemingly oblivious to the fact that everyone else was staring daggers at him.

"Well?" Robin said bluntly.

"Huh? Oh right…the information. Well, you know that guy you were fighting? His name is Strength." Red X then smugly put his hands behind his head.

"Anything else?" Robin strained, clenching his fists.

"Well…what if I told you kids that he wasn't necessarily human." This grabbed everyone's attention. Red X then continued. "Strength is a homunculus. He's an artificial life form generated by magic."

"Impossible." Raven scoffed. Everyone turned to her. "You just can't create life. It's like energy, you can't just make it, you can only change and transfer it."

"Exactly, sunshine." X said. "From what I've gathered, Strength is almost two thousand years old, and when he was made, his creator dumped all of his life force into Strength's body. Since his body is simply composed of the raw materials of a human, and since he has no soul, he doesn't age at all. Not only that, but his ability to heal from damage is almost insurmountable, and his raw physical strength is impressive as well. All in all, he's a pretty bad dude."

"But why go to Sanity's Edge?" Cyborg asked.

"If I had to guess," Jinx said suddenly, "I'd say he's grown tired with us, humanity. After being alive for over a thousand years, he probably sees us humans as foolish and weak, and wants to get rid of us, or at least change up the status quo."

"Pinky's right." Red X continued. "Strength represents madness born from boredom and the passage of time." Everyone looked at him, not quite understanding what he meant. "Every member of Sanity's Edge represents some form of madness. Payne is madness born from injury and pain, Decay is madness born from disease and death, Draco is madness born from fury and hate, Force is madness born of arrogance and pride, Lock is madness born of obsession and fixation, Shock is madness born of madness, Strength is madness born of boredom and the passage of time, and Avarice is madness born of greed and desire."

"How do you know all of this?" Robin asked, distrust in his voice.

"Easy, twinkle toes, they asked me to join them."

"What?" The boy wonder shouted, turning red in the face.

"Calm down, kiddo, I turned them down. But not before learning as much as I could. They've been hunting me for weeks though, and the pressure was getting overwhelming. So, I thought, 'Why not just go to the titans? They'll help me.' And here I am, at your service."

"Alright, X. While I'm glad you told us what you know, I still don't trust you, and I'll be keeping my eye on you. But as of right now, due to the circumstances, I am making you an honorary titan until this crisis is over. Titans dismissed." The teens then left, off to do their own things and activities.

Meanwhile, at the base for Sanity's Edge, Lord Avarice was talking to the rest of his group. "Everyone, the time for action has come!"

"It's about bloody time!" Payne shouted.

"Silence fool." Decay droned.

"I have just finished producing eight vials of this!" The leader than pulled out a small vial of green serum. "This, my friends, is Amplifex. Drink just one vial, and your powers and abilities will grow tenfold. And then, no one will be able to stop us." He then smiled wickedly, and handed each member a vial of the liquid.

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A/N: And thus the cast has been assembled. With the addition of Red X, a personal favorite in terms of a character, the titans now have just as many members of Sanity's Edge. But can they stop them now that they have Amplifex? Keep reading to find out. And keep giving me reviews and comments so I can keep improving.


	8. Tortured

A/N: Well, I promised another chapter soon and I delivered. Once again short but that's not necessarily a bad thing. But yeah, all in all, I think my chapters will be hovering around 2500 words a pop now, sorry. I just don't have the creative energy to make longer chapters. But enough about my problems, just sit back and enjoy the story.

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Tortured

_And it's the saddest song you'll ever hear/The most pain you will ever feel/But you grit your teeth because it don't get better than this – Streetlight Manifesto "The Saddest Song"_

Ever since the three new occupants had moved into the tower, the morning schedule for the titans had changed drastically. Red X would normally be up as Robin walked into the kitchen. After the thief startled Robin during his first morning in the tower, the boy wonder came to realize that X slept during the day and was up all night, usually going to bed around noon. Jinx was the next one up, and she and Robin would drain an entire pot of coffee, forcing them to make two pots every morning. Raven would be the next to rise, making her morning tea as usual. Cyborg followed, and starting making breakfast, now for seven instead of four. Kid Flash would be in the kitchen as soon as Cy finished cooking. Starfire would be next and, par for the course, Beast Boy would be last, sleeping in as late as possible.

As afternoon rolled around, Red X would retire to his room, despite Robin chastising him for not being at the ready. The boys had found a fourth for their video games in Kid Flash, while Jinx was able to mingle easily with both Starfire and Raven. Overall, the three new additions to the tower had worked themselves into the schedule of everyday life fairly well.

It had been three days since Red X had moved in, and the titans were preparing for dinner, or, for the thief, breakfast. All eight of the titans had gathered around the table and were preparing to eat, they had ordered pizza for the night, when the alarm went off. "really?" Beast Boy whined. "Can't this wait for, like, thirty minutes?"

Robin pulled up the screen to see what the trouble was. Although concern flashed across his face, he didn't seem too worried by what he saw. He turned to the rest of the group and bluntly said, "It's Payne."

"Is he by himself?" Beast Boy said, his ears perking up.

"Yeah, although I hesitate to ask why."

"Well, I was thinking,"

"That's a new one," Cyborg joked.

The changeling glared at him before continuing. As I was saying, I was thinking that Raven and I could handle this one by ourselves. After all, we've beaten this guy before, it shouldn't be too hard." Raven turned to her boyfriend, a mix of anger and confusion in her eyes. Beast Boy just gave is typical grin.

"Oh no," the empath mumbled, resting her forehead in her hand.

"Okay," Robin said hesitantly. "But don't be afraid to call if you need help."

"Don't worry dude, we've got this!" Beast Boy said, giving Robin a thumbs up before morphing into a falcon and flying out of the window, Raven following close behind.

"Taking all bets." Red X said, "Ten to one odds that string bean makes it back in one piece." Everyone turned to look at him, incredulously. "What?" X responded, giving a slight shrug.

"So, why do you think Payne's attacking alone?" Beast Boy asked. After leaving the tower, he had elected to shift back into human form and ride on a platform made of Raven's magic, to conserve energy as he put it.

"Does it really matter? In the end, we're going to fight him, he'll give some cryptic message and then disappear."

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Beast Boy then gave a small chuckle, and scratched behind his head. "Don't you think it's strange though? He knows we can beat him. Why attack alone?"

"I guess we're going to find out."

The two then reached Payne, who was calmly resting against an overturned car, one that was in the middle of being on fire. He was smoking a cigarette, but calmly snuffed it out when the two teens arrived. "Is that it? Just the two of you? I'm offended, hurt even." He said with a slight grin, a manic look in his eyes.

"Seriously dude?" Beast Boy said, tired of the villain already. "You are kind of a one-trick pony. I think we can handle you."

"Ah, but that was the old Payne. I'm new and improved, and I'm about to make your lives a living hell." His hands then began to pulse with red electricity. He then threw out his hands and the electricity shot out in a stream, catching both titans by surprise. They were both enveloped by the electricity, and fell to their knees, writhing in agony.

"How?" Raven mumbled, trying to fight through the pain.

"You see my dear titan," Payne began, smirking as he delighted in the couple's misery, "My employer has recently come into contact with a very potent drug, one that amplifies our powers. In fact…" The villain proceeded to ramble, not noticing that the two titans were successfully getting back to their feet.

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" Raven shouted, grabbing Payne's attention, ripping him out of his speech. She quickly put up a bubble of black magic, protecting her and her boyfriend from the villain's attack.

"Oh you cheeky bitch." Payne mumbled, realizing he had been outmaneuvered. Raven didn't respond, all of her focus devoted to maintaining the shield. Payne then studied the magic bubble, zapping it occasionally, trying to see if he could penetrate it. After several unsuccessful attempts, the villain sat down, deep in contemplation. "It seems we have reached an impasse," the villain said, after a moment, "You cannot leave your dome, and I cannot break through it."

Raven however, was smiling slightly, not at all worried that she couldn't hurt the man. Suddenly, Payne was attacked by a green tiger, which had leapt out of a nearby alley. The man jumped back, startled, and tried to use his powers on the changeling, but the green boy morphed into a hummingbird and deftly zipped out of the way. He then flew over Payne's head before switching into an elephant, trying to crush the villain.

However, Payne was, as before, very agile and quickly got out of the way. Having all of his attention focused on Beast Boy though, he failed to notice that Raven had dispersed her shield and was currently sneaking up on him. She quickly struck out at the villain with magic, hitting him in the back of the head. Payne staggered, but quickly started laughing madly. He then back-handed Raven, electricity surrounding his hand, sending her to the ground. The villain then began brutally beating her, laughing the entire time.

"RAE!" Beast Boy shouted, switching back to human form. He tried to get to the girl, however Payne quickly turned his attention back to the shapeshifter.

"And just where do you think you're going?" The villain smugly said.

"Get out of my way." Beast Boy said with deadly seriousness, snarling a bit.

"Make me." The villain then dodged a couple reckless punches, before pushing the teen to the ground. He then started zapping the changeling, overjoyed at the boy's anguished screams. 'Tell me, what does it feel like? Does it feel like your entire body is aflame? Or perhaps it feels that you are being slowly ripped apart? Maybe it feels like your skin is being peeled off of your body, inch by inch? What's the best description of the torture you're experiencing?" He let up once Beast Boy had become quiet, as he was just on the brink of consciousness. "Well you're no fun," he mumbled, "However, I know someone else who's just loads of fun."

Payne then turned his attention back to Raven, who was still crumpled on the ground. He blew a lock of his brown hair out of his face as he approached the pale girl, his hands starting to glow with an odd, indigo electricity. "You, my dear witch, get something special. You see, when I took the drug, not only did my powers increase but I gained a new power." He then grabbed Raven by the throat, lifting her off of the ground. "I can now simulate emotional and mental pain as well as physical." He then put a finger on Raven's forehead, and starting emitting the indigo electricity into her.

She didn't writhe in pain, instead she became deathly quiet. Her arms, previously trying to pry Payne's hands off of her neck, fell limp to her side. Her eyes became as big as dinner plates. "What's it like, witch?" Payne said, smiling madly, "What are you suffering? What sort of psychological traumas have been brought forth from the deepest recesses of your mind? Daddy issues maybe? Perhaps the thought of being abandoned by your friends?"

Raven, of course, didn't answer, her mind reeling from what it was experiencing. Her mind was on the verge of breaking, anything to escape from the pain it was going through. Tears started to well up in her eyes as she gave a choked sobbing sound. "Let…her…go." Beast Boy groaned, having crawled over to Payne. He was grabbing the villain's ankle, trying his best to get his attention.

"I think not little man." Payne scoffed. "No I'm going to break her will, shatter her mind. I'll turn her into an emotional husk, a shade of her former self. She will be lost, trapped in the throes of her own mind." He then laughed and kicked Beast Boy off of his leg.

"No, I won't let you. I can't let you. You…Will…NOT!" As the changeling yelled, his voice became more guttural, more animalistic. He started transforming, becoming larger, more muscular. His teeth elongated into fangs and his pupils were lost. Fur sprang up all over his body and his fingers sharpened into claws. He gave a final howl; he had transformed into The Beast.

"What in the hell?" Payne asked, unsure of what he was seeing. He dropped Raven, and brought up his guard. He suddenly found himself flying into a building, having been hit with intense power. He slowly rose out of the rubble and looked at his opponent. The Beast was currently between Payne and Raven, snarling and frothing at the villain. "This looks like a good time to retreat." Payne said hesitantly, reaching slowly for his watch.

However, before the man could even get close to hitting a button, he was slashed viciously across the chest, and then thrown across the street into a car. Payne coughed up some blood and tried to stand up, but soon found himself being punched into the ground. He gave a desperate wheeze before he was scooped up and thrown into a lamppost, cracking his arm and any remaining unbroken ribs. The Beast then turned its focus to the empath, who was on the ground, tears flowing freely out of her eyes. She was faintly mumbling, "All alone…all alone."

Payne was slumped over in the gutter when he started weakly laughing. "This is great. They allow such a monster on their team and they still call themselves heroes. How rich. How deeply ironic." He then unsteadily got back on his feet. "Go ahead monster," He shouted, returning The Beast's attention to him, "Kill me. Prove to the world how much of a beast you really are! Show this city your true colors!" He then spread is arms, lowering his defenses, leaving himself wide open to attack.

The Beast growled throatily, his hair standing on end. He was ready to pounce on the villain when a hand reached up and grabbed his shoulder, stopping him. The Beast turned around and faced the now standing Raven, who, while her face was tear-stained, still had an air of calm about her. The green monster gave Raven a sad look, whining plaintively. "That's enough." Raven said slowly, "You've done your part. I'm alright now." The Beast stared before slowly nodding and then transformed back into Beast Boy, who gave a faint smile before passing out. "As for you," Raven said turning her attention back to the villain. However, he had long since vanished, leaving nothing but an empty street behind. Raven then sighed, hitting the distress button on her communicator before she too passed out.

The two awoke the next day around noon in the med-bay. Since Payne caused no real damage, all the two needed was good bit of rest. The two walked to the kitchen, both hungry after their fight, and were immediately bombarded with questions from the entire group, sans Red X. "What happened?" Robin asked, making sure his voice rose above everyone else's.

"Payne's gotten stronger." Raven said bluntly.

"Yeah, now he can shoot lightning out of his hands and he's got this were blue lightning that hurts your brain and stuff!" Beast Boy yelled excitedly. Robin raised his eyebrow and turned to Raven, hoping for a…better explanation.

"He's pretty much right. He can now use his pain lightning at long-range. Not only that but he can now cause mental and emotional pain as well."

"Great, just great." Robin sighed as he slumped back into his chair. "Do we know how this happened?"

"He mentioned some sort of drug." Beast Boy responded. The titans mumbled about this, but the general consensus was one of inconclusiveness. None of them knew of any recent drug heists, especially one that involved a chemical that could alter superpowers.

"Do you fear that the rest of Sanity's Edge may have taken this 'drug' as well?" Starfire asked aloud.

"We have to assume they have, Star." Robin said, trying his hardest to mask his anger at the situation.

"So now what?" Cyborg said, hoping someone would come up with a plan.

"We wait." Robin said nonchalantly. "Knowing Sanity's Edge, they'll send a message soon with a time to fight. But as of now, we stay on alert at all times. We were lucky this time, but next time may be different." And with that, the leader left, going down to the gym to workout.

Back with Sanity's Edge, Payne was currently in a crude medical room, being treated by a hacked med-bot. Lord Avarice was standing outside the room looking in. Strength was standing beside him as well. The homunculus turned to his leader and said, in his usual monotone, "I forget how feeble you humans can be sometimes." Avarice didn't respond, he only gave a brief shrug. "You really do care for him, don't you?" Strength asked.

"Of course. He is, after all, mine. And one must take very good care of their possessions." He gave a sad smile before turning and walking down the hall. Strength was quick in following him.

"What is our next step, master?" Strength asked plainly.

"Well, you are my second-in-command. What do you think we should do next?"

"We need to crush them, break their spirit. Stomp them like the ants they are."

"My thoughts exactly. And I know exactly who will get it done." He then grinned wickedly, as he planned out the next step in his grand scheme.

* * *

A/N: Yup, Payne came back just to get his ass handed to him. Guess he wasn't counting on The Beast making a guest appearance. Oh well. But if Amplifex could make Payne that dangerous, what on Earth will it do to the other villains? Stay tuned to find out. And, as always, comments and constructive criticism are always welcome.


	9. Lock, Shock, and Two Smoking Barrels

A/N: Well, I'm finally finished with the next chapter, and it only took me...let's see...carry the one...subtract the two...six months. I'm so sorry. Well, it might not have been worth the wait, but it's what you're getting.

Disclaimer: I own nothing. If anyone tells you that I own something then they are lying liars who are lying out of their lying lie holes.

* * *

Lock, Shock, and Two Smoking Barrels

_And the man in the back is ready to crack/As he raises his hands to the sky/And the girl in the corner is everyone's mourner/She could kill you with the wink of her eye – Sweet "Ballroom Blitz"_

"Are you ready Lock?" Force said, as she walked into a sparsely furnished room. She was wearing a long, flowing black dress with elbow-high, red gloves.

"Just about, I just have to figure out this stupid tie." Lock said as he walked into the room. True to his word, he was currently struggling with a black bow-tie which would complete his tux get-up.

"One of the deadliest assassins in the world, and he can't figure out a tie? Hilarious." Draco said, as he walked into the room. He too was sporting a tux, but a bandolier was somewhat visible beneath his coat.

"Oh shut up," Lock shot back, finally getting the tie on. He began straightening his jacket, when a sudden gust of air mussed him up. Shock had happily bounced his way into the room, wearing a tuxedo that seemed just a bit too big for someone of his size. His electric blue eyes were twinkling with mirth.

"So are we going to a party?" The young man asked, looking over at Draco, who was holding the dossier for the mission.

The gunslinger raised an eyebrow, before looking at the paper. "Yes, it says here we are to crash a ball that the mayor is holding for the titans." He then grinned wickedly, before putting the document in his inner jacket pocket.

"No way, twinkle toes!" Red X shouted, folding his arms across his chest. "There is no way in hell you are getting me to take off my suit."

"I don't care, X." Robin replied, butting heads with the thief. "The mayor invited us personally, so we aren't missing this event. And since you're an honorary titan, you have to go. So you either take off the suit or leave this tower." Sparks were flying between the boys' eyes.

Just then, Cyborg walked into the common room, oblivious to the fight that was happening. "Yo X!" He shouted, signaling the rogue. "Here are those holo-rings you asked for. Calibrated them myself." He then tossed two small rings at the thief, who swiftly grabbed them out of the air.

"Thanks Kilroy." Red X then put the rings on and pounded them together, bathing him in a white light. When it faded, Red X was gone; in his place, what can only be described as a typical dashing rogue stood. He had medium length silver hair and blue eyes that danced in the light. He was wearing a tux with a red rose pinned to the lapel. "Excellent," X stated, his synthesized voice sounding much more natural and far less tinny. "Now hurry up Robin, I wouldn't want to be late for the mayor's party. I mean he personally invited us, and you're not even ready." With that, the thief sauntered out of the room, leaving the boy wonder fuming.

Time passed, and soon the titans had gathered in the common room. The boys were all in tuxedos, albeit with their own personal touches. Robin was still wearing his mask and Beast Boy was still wearing his gloves, while Cyborg's suit seemed a touch bit tight. Oddly enough, Kid Flash was still wearing his speed suit underneath, but he had decided to use his stealth suit, the yellow in the suit being replaced by black.

Jynx was wearing a short, strapless black dress. The skirt was splayed out, much like her usual outfit. She had traded in her boots for more stylish black wedges. However, Starfire's outfit seemed to be the exact opposite of Jynx's in every way. She was wearing a billowy pink dress, long white gloves and her hair was done up in a tight bun. As for Raven, she was wearing the same outfit she had worn when Beast Boy had taken her out to the big band club.

"I knew I'd get to see that dress again." Beast Boy teased, wiggling his eyebrows and bringing forth a blush on the empath's cheeks.

"Shut up," she muttered, quickly turning her face down. "This is the only dress I have," she quickly tacked on at the end.

"Alright y'all," Cyborg shouted, "Now, I've got some bad news. Unfortunately, the T-Car can't hold all of us so we're walking. Unless a certain purple-haired sorceress would be so kind as to teleport us all there." Cy then gave Raven his best puppy-dog eyes. The dark girl sighed and snapped her fingers, bathing everyone in a black aura. When it receded, the group found themselves in front of the mayor's mansion on the outskirts of the city.

"Man, I always hate doing that." Beast Boy said, shivering slightly. He then noticed Raven giving him a harsh look. "Although I absolutely love the person who does it," he recovered, tugging slightly at his collar and giving a thumbs-up. Raven then flipped a lock of hair out of her eyes and gave an exasperated sigh. With that the group walked up to the door, where security was checking everyone before allowing them to enter.

The titans were let in with no trouble, but Red X had some trouble. "Hold up there pal," one guard grabbed X by his collar, dragging him back.

"Whoa, watch the threads chief." The thief responded, pulling the guard off him.

"What seems to be the problem," Robin said, quickly moving back to the checkpoint.

"He ain't on the list." The other guard spoke up, while tapping on a clipboard.

"Oh it's no problem, he's with us." Robin responded. The guard raised an eyebrow at this. "He's a…um…"

"I'm a new recruit." Red X piped up, slinking by the guards. "So don't worry about it." He then walked into the mansion, Robin close behind. However, while the guards were distracted, four uninvited guests managed to slip past them.

The ball had already begun by the time the titans had gotten there, and it was definitely in full swing at the moment. The large ballroom was filled with people and several balconies looked into the room from the second floor. Many couples were out on the dance floor moving with the string quartet that was playing a soft waltz. Others were scattered about eating and chatting. The three couples moved out onto the dance floor, while Red X and Cyborg retreated to the back, where the food was. Of course, with Red X's disguise, it wasn't long before a girl dragged him off to God-knows-where, leaving Cyborg by himself. "Man, I really need to get a girlfriend." The half-robot sighed, grabbing a glass of punch.

"You know Robin, I must say I am having a wonderful time," Starfire said, as she danced with the boy in question. "It is not often that we get to go to such festivities. In fact, I have been doing the wondering, and afterwards is it possible for us to…" Star then whispered into Robin's ear, causing the boy to turn a very unusual shade of red.

"Well, when you put it like that Star, I guess-" Suddenly, a tremendous blast rocked the hall, and the crowd parted revealing a group of four people. "We've got trouble." Robin finished, focusing his attention on the four.

"Attention ladies and gentlemen!" Lock yelled, "We are looking for a group of teenaged heroes; call themselves the titans. Should be about seven or eight of them." The crowd just stared, no one said a word. "Come on, one of them is green, they kinda stand out in a crowd."

"What do you want, Lock?" Robin said, pushing his way through the mass of people. He was taking off his tux, his costume underneath.

"To fight you of course," Lock replied, shrugging slightly, "You would think that'd be obvious by now." The rest of the titans had joined Robin now, all in their outfits as well.

"Enough with the joking around!" Draco said, stepping forward, "I believe it is time to kill." He then fired each of his pistols twice, the streams of fire and ice forcing the titans into pairs and then caging them with a villain. Beast Boy and Raven were with Draco, Kid Flash and Jynx were with Shock, Cyborg and Starfire were with Force, and Robin and Red X were with Lock.

"Well twinkle toes, looks like it's you and me." X said, pulling out an X-shaped projectile. Lock suddenly rushed forward and threw out his arms, purple pulses coming from both hands, targeting the two men.

"Targets locked." The assassin then gave a cocky smirk and tossed out some daggers, which instantly flew towards the duo.

"I have a score to settle with you, witch." Draco spat, pulling out his guns. "And Pyria and Cyro have some words to share too." He then fired off multiple blasts at the purple-haired girl who was quickly yanked out of the way by a green pterodactyl.

"Of course, we're fighting the guy who is both pissed off at me and who is seemingly powered by pure hate. This is going to be fun." Raven snarked, as she released herself from the changeling's grip.

"Anyone wanna give me the lowdown on this guy's powers?" Kid Flash yelled, taking a defensive stance. "Cause, I didn't fight him you know." Shock just looked at the guy, head cocked slightly, before zipping behind him. "Gah! You are just as bad as that Kyd Wykkyd guy."

"So, what do you do mate?" Shock said, ignoring KF's last comment. "Are ya super strong or psychic or something?"

"Well, for starters, I'm…" Kid Flash quickly raced around the room, "Super fast."

"Neat, but can ya do this?" Shock then slingshotted back and then forward, slamming into Kid Flash. The speedster was then ricocheted around the area until a tile shot up from the floor, smashing into Shock's chest.

"Forget that I'm here?" Jynx said, hands still glowing pink.

"I beat you once, I can beat you again!" Cyborg said, his arm in its cannon form. He was keeping his distance, while Star was hovering above him, eyes burning green. Force was keeping her eyes on the half-robot, although she did occasionally glance at the Tamaranian. Her hands were glowing purple and red and she was smirking slightly.

"Last time, I underestimated you children. Trust me, that will not happen again." She then fired off a brilliant blast of energy, which both titans barely avoided. She then began her assault, rapidly firing shots at Star and Cy, several hitting their targets. Cyborg quickly ducked behind an overturned table, while Force turned her attention to Starfire. The two skirmished for a bit, Starfire nimbly dodging the beams of energy, while Force merely shot down every starbolt that came her way. "You are incredibly annoying, you gnat. Just stay still!"

"You're one to talk!" Cyborg yelled, jumping out from behind cover. He then fired off several missiles, all of which were aimed at the villain. She shot down several, but was hit with several starbolts, throwing her off balance and allowing the rest of the explosives to get through. The explosion launched Force into the ice cage that surrounded the arena, cracking the ice slightly. Force warily got back on her feet, but it was obvious the explosion took a lot out of her.

"Irritating bugs!" She hoarsely cried, "You are all beneath me!" She then reached into her cleavage, pulling out a small green vial. "It's time I put you in your place!" She then downed all of it in one gulp.

Meanwhile, the fight with Draco hadn't progressed much. The gunslinger couldn't land any solid hits on either of his opponents. Raven would just put up a shield, while Beast Boy simply dodged them, being incredibly nimble. "You are so infuriating! Just die already!" Draco screamed, his eyes starting to glow red, and fired off several shots at Raven. She moved out of the way, but the blasts of fire and ice curved and started following the girl. She then quickly put up a shield, but the blasts simply plowed through it. Luckily, the streams of fire and ice were slowing down, running out of steam per se.

"Yo, Draco, heads up!" The villain looked above just in time to notice a falling elephant about to land on him. Beast Boy had, while Draco was distracted with Raven, flown above him and shapeshifted. Of course, the villain was able to get out of the way, but he lost his concentration and the jets of ice and fire dissipated.

"That's it! I've had enough of both of you! It's time I finished this!" He then reached into his pocket and pulled a small bottle willed with a green liquid. He immediately drank the liquid, crushing the bottle in his hand afterwards. His eyes immediately started glowing much brighter and he started laughing maniacally.

"What was that?" Cyborg said, eyeing Force suspiciously. His arm was trained on the woman, and was humming slightly.

"Oh? Well, Avarice calls it Amplifex, although I'm not entirely sure what it is. All I know is that it lets me do this." She then snapped her fingers, and a huge blast of energy shot out, hitting Cyborg with enough force to bounce him off the ice wall behind him. Smirking, Force then snapped her fingers again, firing off another blast, and again, and again. Cyborg struggled to stand against the relentless assault, but in the end he collapsed, his body beaten far too badly.

"CYBORG!" Star screamed, her eyes burning green. She then turned towards Force and charged her, expertly dodging and swerving around the blasts that the villainess launched at her. She then grabbed the woman and began squeezing her in a hug-like grip. Force squirmed, trying to free herself, but it was no use. "I will snap you in half, you evil woman."

"Oh really?" Force then opened her mouth and fired a beam out of it, right in Starfire's face. The Tamaranian was forced to release her grip and back up to get out of the way. "You see, I can fire my concussive blasts out of any part of body now. And now, I will crush you like the bug you are!" Force then began laughing while a dome of energy started to exude out of her, pushing any debris closer and closer to the impenetrable ice wall.

"No, I will stop you." Star retorted, slamming her fists together. A green bubble of energy then erupted out of her body, slamming into the one made by Force. The two energies pushed against each other, but neither one was pushed back…two unstoppable forces had collided.

"Foolish girl!" Force screamed, "If neither of us budges, do you know what will happen? We wil-" The woman was cut off by a huge explosion that rocked the very foundations of the building. Both energies had exploded, both of them having run out of room to grow in the arena. The detonation was so large that even the seemingly impermeable ice walls had been destroyed; however they did manage to contain the eruption to that one area. When the debris and dust settled, both women were scorched and unconscious.

"That's probably not a good thing." Beast Boy said, as he watched Draco's guns phase into his hands, which then turned into reptilian claws. Wings then sprouted out of Draco's back, and he took to the air; his eyes and mouth radiating a wicked orange glow. Balls of ice and fire then appeared in his hands, which he proceeded to throw at both titans, the fireballs exploding on impact and the ice balls erupting into a spiky cacophony. "Nope, definitely a bad thing." Beast Boy quickly morphed into a falcon and started moving, doing his best to dodge the projectiles.

Raven, on the other hand, was trying to redirect the balls of ice and fire, using her magic to curve them around back at Draco. The villain, still new at flying, was unable to weave around his own attacks and was hit by a fireball, sending him plummeting back to the ground. He regained his bearings though and stopped himself before he hit the ground. He growled and turned his attention back to the sorceress. Of course, Beast Boy tried to divert his attention, but Draco merely swatted the green teen to ground, stunning the poor boy.

"Alright girly, enough toying around. It is time to get serious." He then charged Raven, smashing through any barrier she put up. He then grabbed her by the throat, intent on choking the life out of her.

"Not again," Raven gasped, desperately trying to get Draco to let go. She then kicked the man in the groin, simultaneously making him let go and vomit a black plasma-like substance on Raven. Interestingly, this black goo had an adverse effect on the girl, causing her to grab her head in pain, before passing out and falling down to the ground.

Luckily, Beast Boy had regained his senses and grabbed Raven before she hit the ground. He then turned to Draco, fury burning in his eyes. "You're gonna regret that." He said, malice dripping off of his words. He then shifted into a falcon, quickly moving above the villain, before dive bombing him. Before he hit Draco, he quickly morphed into a gorilla grabbing the man's leg, dragging him back down to the ground. He then morphed into an anaconda, constricting the villain, squeezing the life out of him. Before Draco passed out, Beast Boy quickly shifted into an elephant, his trunk still wrapped around Draco, albeit not as tightly, and then picked him up and slammed him into the ground repeatedly.

"I…I surrender." Draco mumbled weakly before passing out. His dragon-like appearance dissipated, and his guns phased out of his hands and fell to the ground. Beast Boy morphed back into his human form, breathing heavily and still glaring at the villain. Upon Draco passing out the fire and ice cages dispersed, freeing the others who were still fighting.

"Well that's unfortunate," Lock said, as he dodged several exploding disks. "Not a single dead titan." He then quickly ducked under several x-shaped projectiles. "Now then, where were we?" He then threw out a handful of caltrops, which began to home in on their targets. Robin and Red X quickly got behind a table, protecting themselves from the spiky, metal balls.

"Okay, now what?" Red X asked

"I have plan, but I need you to do exactly what I say." Robin replied.

"Fine, but this better be good twinkle toes." Robin then grabbed Red X and whispered something to the thief.

"Come out, come out wherever you are." Lock said, slowly moving around, taking his time. In actuality, he was glad that the cage was gone; he hated to be constrained like that. Suddenly, several X-shaped projectiles flew at him. He quickly sidestepped them; however Robin was on him, swiping at him with his bo staff. Lock pulled out two daggers and started parrying the attacks. "Not bad Robin, thinking that I'm not as effective at close range. I am a trained assassin though, so your attack isn't going to work."

"Who said anything about my attack working? You need to mind your surroundings." Robin said, smirking slightly. "X NOW!" Suddenly, the thief teleported behind Lock, and grabbed his arm, wrenching the knife out of it. He then pulled out a gadget, slammed Lock's hand to the ground, and slapped it on. The X quickly bound his hand to the floor, becoming an incredibly strong adhesive.

"One hand down." X said, crossing his arms. "And look, it was the hand that was locked on to me. So I guess I'll beat you senseless, since you can't target me anymore."

"Clever, boys, clever." Lock said, reaching into his coat pocket with his good hand. "I fear it is time I used this." He then pulled out a small vial and drank the drug inside.

Meanwhile, the fight with Shock was going pretty well, now that Kid Flash was freed of the cage that surrounded the arena. With free reign of the ballroom, he quickly displayed the superiority of his abilities to Shock's. While the young villain could keep up with KF, it was clear that this quickly tired the boy, and he couldn't do it for prolonged periods of time. Not only that, but the constant bad luck hexes from Jynx were also slowing him down quite a bit. "Not fair," Shock whined, panting slightly.

"Life's not fair." Jynx said matter-of-factly, as she sauntered over. "And I'm sure this is just shocking for you."

"Shocking?" The villain said, cocking his head slightly. He then scrunched up his face, as if deep in thought, before brightening quickly. "Oh, I just remembered. I can do this!" He then started bouncing around, much to the bewilderment of Kid Flash and Jynx. He then quickly stopped in front of Jynx. "ZAP!" He shouted, and then grabbed Jynx's shoulder, sending a huge amount of static electricity through the girl. She stiffened before falling to the ground, stunned.

"Wait, what did you just do?" Kid Flash said, confused and angry.

"Oh, not much mate. I just discharged some static electricity." Shock then closed his eyes and shrugged his shoulders. Of course, he didn't see Kid Flash coming when punched him square in the face. Kid Flash then continued the assault, his super speed allowing him to land a huge amount of blows per seconds. Shock was quickly knocked off of his feet, landing hard on the ground. "Okay, that hurt." He said, rubbing his jaw gingerly. "Good thing the boss gave this to me." He then pulled out his dose of Amplifex and downed it.

"Targets amplified." Lock said, grinning wickedly. Robin and Red X quickly noticed that the bull's-eye on their hearts expanded into a crosshair that covered their entire torso. Lock then touched the tile that his hand was glued on to. The tile then ripped off of the adhesive, flying at Robin. The boy wonder quickly got out of the way, but of course the tiled spun back around, and the titan then broke the flooring with his staff.

Lock was then on the move again, a mad look in his inverted eyes. He began tapping any debris that he came across, all of which immediately flew at their designated target. "Well, this is just great." Red X said, doing his best to destroy any debris that came at him. "What do we do now?"

"I'm thinking. Wait, why do I always have to come up with the plan?" Robin replied, while also breaking anything that came his way.

"You're the leader; it's in your job description. But if you're open to ideas I think I got one. And luckily all you need to do is run distraction for it to work. Good luck!" Red X then hit a button on his belt and disappeared.

"Wait, what? Ugh, alright here we go." Robin then rushed Lock, quickly ducking and swerving around anything flying his way. "Take this!" He then threw a large, exploding disk at Lock. The assassin merely ducked under it, and gingerly pressed his fingers against the still moving projectile. The disk then circled back around and flew back at Robin. The titan quickly threw out a bird-a-rang, which destroyed the disk mid-flight. "I hope you've got something good up your sleeve X."

"Oh wow, this feels…really good." Shock said, grinning crazily. He then slingshotted back onto his feet. He then bounced through the still slightly confused Kid Flash, who was immediately knocked off balance. Shock then bounced back and forth, each time hitting Kid Flash with his full strength. Shock then zipped underneath KF and then bounced up, knocking the speedster into the air. Shock then continued his attack, before ending it with one final strike, knocking the titan into the ground.

"Okay, that was incredibly painful." Kid Flash said, as he shakily got back onto his feet. He then coughed up a bit of blood, and groaned a bit. Unfortunately, Shock wasn't letting up, and all that bouncing around, combined with his enhanced abilities, meant he had a huge amount of static electricity built up in his body.

"Shocking isn't it?" The boy said, grabbing Kid Flash's arm. The speedster flinched, expecting the bolt of electricity, but relaxed a bit when nothing happened.

Shock and Kid Flash then locked eyes, the villain looking worried, while the titan smirked. "Rubber suit." Kid Flash said, stretching the material slightly.

"Crap," Shock replied, sweat forming on his brow. He was then spun around incredibly fast, forming a mini-tornado, before being launched into a wall with tremendous force, leaving a small crater where he hit. Shock was on the ground wheezing slightly, his body stunned from the sheer strength of the impact.

"Is that all Robin?" Lock said, grinning cockily. "No more gadgets, no more toys?" Robin was currently on one knee, breathing heavily. A large gash ran across his chest, and his exposed skin was peppered with bruises and cuts. "It's unfortunate Red X abandoned you, but such is the nature of a thief."

"Didn't abandon him, Lock!" A voice shouted from an upper balcony. "I just had to get something ready." Red X then jumped down from the second floor and rushed Lock, X-blades extending out of his gauntlets.

"So, he's returned. Oh well, just one more target to get rid of." Lock then tapped a table next to him, which immediately flew at the rogue. However, the table merely passed through Red X, doing nothing at all. The hologram then flickered and disappeared. "What the hell?" Lock said, throwing up a defensive stance.

"As I thought." Red X shouted, his voice coming from the balcony still. "You need to be able to see your target for your powers to work. And if you believe you're aiming at your target, then your powers activate. So if attacked while invisible, you couldn't do anything to stop me." Lock's feet were then swept out from under him, and he was slammed into the ground. Red X then materialized on top of him, pinning the assassin to the ground. "Lights out, Lock." X then headbutted the villain, knocking him out cold.

"Thanks for the save X," Robin said, getting back on his feet, "But why did it take so long?"

"Well I had to set up that speaker on the second floor, and I had to make Lock think I had abandoned you to throw him off his game when I returned. Now then, let's see if Lock has anything valuable on him." Red X then went to grab Lock, but his watch started chirping and he was immediately teleported away. The same thing then happened for Draco and Force. "Well that's just inconsiderate." X said, crossing his arms.

Kid Flash then sped over. "Any reason why he wasn't teleported away?" He then held up the still unconscious Shock.

"He doesn't wear one of their fancy watches." Cyborg said, having returned to consciousness. "His build-up of static messes with it, apparently."

"Well then," Robin said, eyeing the young villain, "It looks like we have a hostage."

* * *

And we're done here. I hope I didn't confuse anyone too badly what with my jumping around, but that's just how I do fights. Anyway, let's see if I can get the next chapter out before 2014, eh.


End file.
